Accounting for differences

Not for the first time, the MDP debate threatens to be overshadowed by fears of the Big Five accountants and their huge resources

The long road to multi-disciplinary partnerships has been littered with obstacles.

And with the end in sight, another hurdle has blocked the path.Opponents of MDPs - who are still many - will take heart from this week's decision by the European Court of Justice's Advocate-General, Philippe Lger, that tie-ups between lawyers and accountants may not work.The advocate-general did not rule out other forms of co-operation between lawyers and accountants, such as exist in the UK with the likes of Garretts, KLegal, Tite & Lewis and Landwell.

And presumably Law Society plans to allow non-lawyers to join law firms so long as they are in the minority, and that the firm still predominantly provides legal services, will remain unaffected.But not for the first time, the MDP debate threatens to be overshadowed by fears of the Big Five accountants and their huge resources.

Accountants provide trickier ethical issues than other professions, given their public disclosure duties in some circumstances.The advocate-general's decision relates solely to accountants; it seems difficult to apply it to high street family lawyers bringing in trained counsellors, or property selling solicitors making an estate agent a partner.

Just because they may not work with accountants does not mean MDPs do not still have a major role to play.