Sole practitioners are not a dying breed, but have the flexibility to prosper where larger practices may fail, the Sole Practitioners Group (SPG) annual conference was told last weekend.


SPG chairwoman Janis Purdy, a practitioner in Bristol, said high street firms with seven or eight partners were the most threatened by reforms to the legal services market, including to legal aid. 'They aren't as light-footed: they have premises, overheads and the need to agree things as a partnership,' she said.



However, Ms Purdy warned there were some dark clouds on the horizon, notably a possible hike in practising certificate fees. 'The Solicitors Regulation Authority is obviously a very active organisation,' she said. 'Once the legal services board is in place, costs could further escalate.'



Jonathan Rayner