Scotland’s Big4 won’t leave for England after all
Amazing what a bit of posturing can acheive…
Scotland’s Dundas & Wilson, Maclay Murray & Spens, McGrigors and Shepherd & Wedderburn (S&W) were considering having their lawyers register with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) rather than the Scottish Law Society [(SLS)] in reaction to the Scottish Law Agents Society’s (SLAS) attempt to ban the Âintroduction of ABSs (alternative business structures).
And it appears that the threat has worked, just.
The Firm: The Law Society referendum on whether the profession should support ABS has closed with a slim majority backing the proposals ahead of the SGM next week.
2,245 voted in favour of the introduction of alternative business structures, as long as there are appropriate safeguards, while 2,221 voted against. Some 4,466 solicitors voted, a representing 43% of the Society’s membership, the biggest turnout in the Society’s history.
Which is good for Scotland. And Alex Salmond’s heart rate.
April 8, 2010
This sort of cross-border opportunism could have been bad news for Scotland. There are far too many anomalies related to devolution. I am all for devolution itself but legislative arbitrage is a growing problem, universtiy funding being another example. As politiicans have brought up constitutional reform once again for election time; it is about time the Westlothian question was dealt with properly too.