www.lawgazette.co.uk
23 June 2014
TROUBLED CLS MERGED WITH FUNERAL AND INSURANCE
By Kathleen Hall » Co-operative Legal Services (CLS) will join the
group’s funeral and insurance busi- nesses in a new ‘consumer services division’ following a major shakeup of the loss-making alternative busi- ness structure. CLS will off er a ‘more aligned’ service, working ‘closely’ with the other teams, its managing director told the Gazette. The changes follow a management
overhaul, with four members step- ping down from the CLS board since last month’s annual general meeting. They include non-executive director Rodger Pannone, founder of the Pan- none Law Group and a former presi- dent of the Law Society. The new ‘agile’ board comprises
Matt Howells, managing director, who joined last year from Barclays, fi nance director Caoilionn Hurley, an accoun- tant, and chairman Alistair Asher, a former partner at Allen & Overy who joined CLS in July 2013. Howells told the Gazette that the business, which made an operat- ing loss of £9.1m last year, was in a ‘rebuild phase’. He said: ‘Last year saw
some ugly numbers, but it is now time to look forward. I would hope these changes will deliver a profi t next year. It will be a challenging year, but we hope to enter 2015 in a positive way.’ Hurley, who joined CLS in March,
has ‘signifi cant turnaround experience’ said Howells, adding that the structure of the consumer division will help CLS provide ‘a more aligned customer ser- vice’. He said: ‘This is a unique oppor- tunity to work more closely with those areas of the business.’ Over the next 12 months, the busi-
ness will look to strengthen its market position, particularly in wills and pro- bate, and will ‘work closely with our Funeralcare division’, he said. The previous structure did not
allow CLS to pull its products together easily, said Howells. ‘It will mean if a customer is seeking a funeral plan they will have access to other products such as a will.’ The group’s insurance business
and its personal injury work are also complementary, he added. ‘We are in a diff erent position from where we were 12 months ago.’
‘When people are hurting, particularly if they have been “swapped”, self- preservation becomes all-important.’ Marilyn Stowe interview, p16
The Jackson and legal aid reforms have strained rela- tions between solicitors and expert witnesses
12
Technology p8 The pressure is on lawyers to upgrade their IT skills
Individual PC fee set to fall by 17%
By Gazette reporter » The individ- ual practising certifi cate fee will fall by
17% in 2014/15, subject to Law Society Council approval and a consultation with members. The fee proposed is £320, down
from £384 this year. The Compensa- tion Fund levy is expected to be £32, which would result in a total fee of
£352, a fall of £88 on 2013/14. The consultation does not encom-
pass the additional entity-based PC fee, which is determined by turnover and is also expected to fall. The eight-page consultation seeks member comment on the draft 2014/15 budget for the Law Society Group, which comprises the profes-
sional body, the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Corporate Solutions, the group’s shared services arm. In 2014/15 the group expects to
spend £146.1m, of which Corporate Solutions and the SRA would account for 37% (£54.6m) and 33% (£47.7m) respectively. The professional body Continued on page 2
Litigators should be able to abide by Mitchell p11
18 In Practice 24 Reviews 26 Jobs
25
ABC 118,112
My Legal Life: Ashley Irons bemoans the lack of choice on the high street for clients as costs bite
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