It has become de rigueur for commentators on the legal profession to refer to a constant state of change and flux affecting lawyers - and no better time than the new year to make that point again.

We have already highlighted 2004 as the year of Clementi.

Sir (he was knighted in the honour's list) David's report on regulation and competition in the legal profession is scheduled to hit Whitehall desks in about 12 months' time - and the shock waves could be far reaching.

Indeed, the year has kicked off with a reminder of just how challenging a task Sir David faces.

After much soul searching, the Law Society Council has approved the lifting of its ban on referral fees - to the joy of many claimant personal injury practitioners, and to the chagrin of a significant number of residential conveyancers.

Likewise, the incoming Bar Council chairman has called for a regulatory shake-up.

His proposal is short on detail, but in essence he wants solicitor-advocates to be regulated by his body and law firm-employed barristers to be overseen by the Law Society.

If nothing else, these two instances highlight what ministers and others have described as the 'regulatory maze'.

Referral fees specifically illustrate how different sectors of ostensibly the same profession can be diametrically opposed on a crucial issue.

Creating the outline of a clear path through the maze - and reconciling sectional interests - will be the job for 2004 and could be a painful process for some.