City law firms have rallied to help London legal advice charities meet a £100,000 IT bill, after the Legal Services Commission (LSC) introduced changes to reporting requirements that rendered existing software packages obsolete.


The Law Centres Federation and Advice UK appealed to the London Legal Support Trust, a body that raises funds from City firms and chambers, for assistance in buying new software.



The trust responded by providing money from the Allen & Overy client account scheme, where the City firm donates the extra interest it gains through consolidating all client account funds. The trust provided further funds from its London Legal sponsored walk, which raised £205,000 this year.



Word-of-mouth also raised more than £50,000, with pledges so far from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Weil Gotshal & Manges, Clifford Chance, Herbert Smith, Travers Smith, Berwin Leighton Paisner and Lovells.



Trust chairman Bob Nightingale said that Lord Carter recommended in his report that the LSC put aside £3 million to help smaller firms and advice centres upgrade their IT, but his recommendation was not acted upon.



Mr Nightingale added: 'Once again, City firms have turned up trumps when the London voluntary legal sector is in need. Most large law firms are already directly supporting at least one advice agency and every time we ask for extra help for an issue like this the funds are forthcoming.



'The new software will not only help the agencies take up legal aid contracts, but will also allow them to deliver grant-funded services more effectively - helping tens of thousands of disadvantaged people every year.'



A spokesman for the LSC said: 'The unified contract requires all providers - both not-for-profit agencies and solicitor firms - to work with us via e-business. This creates efficiencies and reduces administration time and costs for them and the LSC.'



Jonathan Rayner