Regional clients pull short straw with London lawyers

North-west businessmen who go to London for legal advice often get a poor deal, with more junior staff advising them than if they had used...North-west businessmen who go to London for legal advice often get a poor deal, with more junior staff advising them than if they had used Manchester professionals, a top Manchester lawyer claimed last week.Speaking to the Professional Services Marketing Group NW, Robert Street, senior partner of Chaffe Street, told members: Some north-west clients are neglected by large London law firms.

When we deal with London lawyers on the other side of a transaction, we often find that we are dealing with junior solicitors who have much less experience than partners in the north-west.

Furthermore, clients may find they are being charged higher fees than if they had engaged a north-west law firm.The salvo is the latest move in a campaign by law firms in Manchester and Birmingham to persuade local businessmen to use local firms rather than heading to London.A survey in December 2000 by lobbying groups pro.Manchester and Birmingham Forward found City firms won more corporate finance deals from provincial rivals (see [2000] Gazette, 7 December, 8).Neil Rose