I read with interest Mark Smulian's article regarding the outsourcing of high-profile work by local government teams (see [2008] Gazette, 8 May, 17).


The writer pointed out that national firms such as Eversheds and Wragge & Co have increasingly been instructed on projects which council's in-house teams did not have the expertise to cover. The writer also refers to 'sharing' schemes, whereby a collection of councils pool their legal expertise.



I was, however, disappointed that the article did not mention the thriving locum market in this arena. By my reckoning there are more than 200 temporary lawyers working within London's 32 boroughs, and a further 300 working across England and Wales. Surely these are the real 'troubleshooters', to quote your headline.



Temporary workers are traditionally recruited to cover maternity leave or as an interim appointment while a permanent worker is recruited. With average assignments running at seven months, and with expectations set that locums are specialised, able to 'hit the ground running' with case work, and equipped to enter a range of working environments, this army of workers deserved a mention.



Moreover, locum workers are increasingly recruited to cover specific large-scale projects. Although I write as an experienced recruiter of lawyers to local authorities, and thus must disclose my interest, I feel sadness that this migrant workforce was overlooked.



Dean Langton, London