The Law Society has expressed disappointment that the Legal Services Commission will not provide a structured compensation package for firms that lost out in the 2010 family law tender round.
About 1,000 firms were awarded family law tenders last August. However, the High Court quashed these after the Law Society launched a legal challenge. Many law firms incurred losses as a result.
Law Society President, Linda Lee, said: “Firms have recruited new staff, invested in new office infrastructure and in many cases, signed leases to open new offices—that expenditure was wasted.
“Since October, we have been trying to negotiate a settlement arrangement with the Legal Services Commission on behalf of all firms, but sadly those negotiations have failed.”
Legal Services Commission CEO, Carolyn Downs, said: “We have been in discussions about this issue with the Law Society since Autumn last year. We finalised our discussions and communications with them on 3 February this year. We have already responded to any specific claims we have received.”
