header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
25 February 2011 / Dr Jon Robins
Issue: 7454 / Categories: Opinion , Legal services , Profession
printer mail-detail

An unfair divide

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.

Is the ban on law firms hiving off unreserved legal work through associated entities the regulatory breach in the profession’s defences that will enable those new entrants to storm a newly liberalised legal services market?

Part 3: Jon Robins confronts an uncomfortable reality for lawyers

Is the profession’s failure to address the separate business rule “the equivalent of the Maginot line”, ponders Neil Kinsella, the senior executive of one of the largest claimant firms Russell Jones & Walker. Or, to put it another way, is the ban on law firms hiving off unreserved legal work through associated entities the regulatory breach in the profession’s defences that will enable those new entrants to storm a newly liberalised legal services market?

Radical change

This is the third and final article in a series exploring the consequences for a profession going through rapid and radical change where some 80% of its work falls outside the protection of “reserved” legal work (see 160 NLJ 7444, p 1662 & NLJ, 7 January 2011, p 7). Most practitioners

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Sponsored by
NLJ Career Profile: John McElroy, London Solicitors Litigation Association

NLJ Career Profile: John McElroy, London Solicitors Litigation Association

From first-generation student to trailblazing president of the London Solicitors Litigation Association, John McElroy of Fieldfisher reflects on resilience, identity and the power of bringing your whole self to the law

Clarke Willmott—Elaine Field

Clarke Willmott—Elaine Field

Planning and environment team expands with partner hire in Manchester

Birketts—Barbara Hamilton-Bruce

Birketts—Barbara Hamilton-Bruce

Firm appoints chief operating officer to strengthen leadership team

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: Push to scrap ‘vague’ public office misconduct law
A wave of scandals has reignited debate over misconduct in public office, criticised as unclear and inconsistently applied. Writing in NLJ this week, Alice Lepeuple of WilmerHale says the offence’s ‘vagueness, overbreadth & inconsistent deployment’ have undermined confidence
NLJ this week: World Cup faces legal storm before kick-off
FIFA’s 2026 Men's World Cup is already mired in controversy, with complaints over ‘excessive prices’ and opaque ticketing. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dr Ian Blackshaw of Valloni Attorneys warns that governing bodies may face scrutiny under EU competition law, with allegations of a ‘dominant—if not monopolistic—position’ in ticket sales
NLJ this week: Trade mark practice splits widen post-Brexit
Ten years after Brexit, UK and EU trade mark regimes are drifting apart in practice if not principle. Writing in NLJ this week, Roger Lush and Lara Elder of Carpmaels & Ransford highlight tighter UK scrutiny after SkyKick, where overly broad filings may signal ‘bad faith’
NLJ this week: Sanctions ruling casts ‘wide net’ over global finance
A landmark Supreme Court ruling has underscored the sweeping reach of UK sanctions. In NLJ this week, Brónagh Adams and Harriet Campbell of Penningtons Manches Cooper say the regime is a ‘blunt instrument’ requiring only a factual, not causal, link to restricted goods
NLJ this week: England’s courts cement status as fraud battleground
Fraud claims are surging, with England and Wales increasingly the forum of choice for global disputes. Writing in NLJ this week, Jon Felce of Cooke, Young & Keidan reports claims have risen sharply, with fraud now a major share of litigation and costing billions worldwide
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll