Cold-calling conflict

Rules barring solicitors from cold-calling clients could be relaxed for firms wishing to gain new business clients, the Law Society said this week.

However, despite press reports, a ban on direct calls and 'doorstepping' the public is likely to remain.Ed Nally, chairman of the Law Society's regulation review working party - which is reviewing the profession's conduct rules - said the Society was trying to modernise and recognise the reality of how modern business could operate.

However, it is not contemplating a regime where solicitors could doorstep vulnerable members of society, he added.One area under consideration is whether there should be different rules governing business-to-potential-business client contact as opposed to business-to-lay-client contact, he said.Alison Crawley, the Society's head of professional ethics, said although firms were having to compete with other businesses for work, a recent consultation on relaxing the rules showed concern over any steps which would allow cold calling.She added that the Society was looking at many of its rules, including those dealing with restrictions on firm advertising, paying of referral fees and the formation of multi-disciplinary practices, as part of its wholesale reform process.The issues have also been brought to the attention of the Office of Fair Trading, which is undertaking a review of restrictions on competition amongst the professions and is expected to report at the end of the month.Sue Allen