§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to permit the development of multi-disciplinary partnerships in the legal profession; and if he will make a statement. [R] [81094]
§ Mr. HoonThis is a matter for the legal professional bodies. The rules of the Bar Council and the Law Society prohibit such arrangements. The Bar Council has no current plans for change. The Law Society issued a consultation paper in October 1998 on the possibility of allowing solicitors to enter multi-disciplinary partnerships; the responses are currently being analysed. Under the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990, it could fall to the Lord Chancellor and the designated judges to approve any proposed changes to those rules, if such changes came into the scope of Schedule 4 of that Act.