The Welsh government has named more than a dozen firms and local authorities that will provide legal services to the whole of the public sector in Wales. 

Blake Morgan, Browne Jacobson, Geldards, Hugh James and Staffordshire Legal Services are among the firms to be awarded four-year contracts by the National Procurement Service (NPS), a government agency, to provide 21 areas of law.

These include adult and child social services, civil litigation, corporate governance, criminal litigation, education, employment, major IT and commercial contracts, property, planning and environment.

Geldards vice-chairman Huw Williams (pictured) said ‘collaborative’ approaches such as the NPS framework were vital because of the ‘unremitting financial pressures on the public sector to get the maximum value for public money’.

The total spend for the solicitors’ legal services framework is estimated to be £60m over the four years.

A spokesperson for the Welsh government said the procurement process for a barristers’ framework would commence in ‘early autumn’.

More than 70 organisations are members of the NPS. They include the Welsh government, all local authorities, NHS Wales, police and fire services, and higher and further education bodies.

The framework also covers organisations such as housing associations and UK government bodies based in Wales such as the DVLA and the Royal Mint.