Law firms will go to the wall, warns McIntosh

Some law firms face going out of business while many others will feel the pain as solicitors are forced to concentrate on the work where they can bring added value, Law Society President David McIntosh warned at the Solicitors Annual Conference.In his keynote speech in Birmingham last weekend, Mr McIntosh said: 'We will have to face the fact that some of the things we now do, and the way we do them, will not remain viable.'He went on: 'Because of our versatility most - but I regret to say, not all - of us will be able to cope with these challenges.

It will, however, be painful for many of us.'Dividing the demand for legal services into three main needs - 'rocket science' work, work of importance to the client, and routine tasks - he explained: 'I believe the future for us lies only with work where we can add the extra value which solicitors uniquely bring.

This means we need to major on the first and second categories of work.'Routine needs included low-value bulk conveyancing, debt collection and 'other low-value matters where the outcome is not of earth-shattering importance to the client'.

Mr McIntosh said: 'This work is only available to solicitors at bare bones rate.

It carries with it the risk of being a loss leader, which leads nowhere.

It often requires a level of skill which is not exclusive to solicitors.'Meanwhile, during a plenary session, panel members discussed how to attract young lawyers into publicly funded work.

'I'm not sure we can,' said Araba Obodai, former president of Manchester Law Society, likening the situation to the problems affecting teaching.

She said, though, that in the French city of Lille last year, all lawyers - including commercial practitioners - went on strike because of low pay for public work.Mr McIntosh said: 'It's very easy to answer, very difficult to deliver - good pay and recognition.' Law Society chief executive Janet Paraskeva said more effort should be made to persuade law students of the value of such work.