Law firms are a step closer to being forced to disclose the clients on behalf of whom they lobby as the parliamentary debate on lobbying continued this week.

Responding to a question last week at prime minister’s question time, Gordon Brown said the government had to ‘look at all the measures that could make the system work better’.

Law firms maintain that they cannot disclose the name of their lobbying clients because to do so would breach statutory client confidentiality rules.

Most political lobbying consultancies voluntarily disclose their clients through two membership bodies.

Eben Black, director and head of media in national firm DLA Piper’s global government relations practice, said that if mandatory disclosure is required, it must be done under statute to ensure a level playing field between law firms and political lobbying consultancies.

The two main bodies representing lobbying consultancies require the disclosure of clients’ names. However, law firms conducting political lobbying work are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and must abide by client confidentiality rules under its code of conduct. This conflicts with the requirement to disclose client names under the APPC and PRCA codes.

  • Edward Garnier, MP for Harborough, is engaged as a consultant by insurance law firm Greenwoods, which has offices in London, Milton Keynes, Manchester and Bristol, and not by Peterborough firm Greenwoods, as reported last week.