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The in-house legal team at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has selected a panel of 23 employment law firms for its membership of 6,000 recruitment agencies - and negotiated substantial discounts - it revealed this week.
REC head of legal Fiona Coombe has secured average discounts of 10% with panel firms across the country, including City law firms Bates Wells & Braithwaite, Bird & Bird and Beachcroft Wansbroughs, and national practices Eversheds and Hammonds.
Some firms have also agreed to fixed fee arrangements and blended fees for REC members.
The firms were selected from a shortlist of 30 on the basis of their records in acting for recruitment agencies. The REC in-house team will monitor their quality of advice later in the year through feedback from members.
Ms Coombe said: 'The specific legal issues applicable to recruitment agencies are not widely written about, and so we felt it would be helpful for our members to have a panel of law firms with the right expertise to chose from.'
She added: 'Our team of three in-house lawyers also runs a legal helpline for members that receives 4,000 queries every month, mostly relating to new regulations affecting the recruitment industry. It will be helpful to be able to refer some of these calls to panel firms.'
Eversheds partner Audrey Williams said: 'Our firm now has a dedicated team of 20 fee-earners nationally who are focusing on REC panel work, with the capacity to add more.' She confirmed that special charging arrangements had formed part of Eversheds' bid.
Further panel firms, covering different regions of the UK, include City firms Goodman Derrick, Bracher Rawlins, DMH, Masons, Salans and Silverman Sherliker in London; Bond Pearce, Gowen & Stevens, Osborne Clarke and Wilsons in the south-west; Browne Jacobson and Darbys in the midlands; and Cobbetts, Silverbeck Rymer and Brabners Chaffe Street in the north-west.
The REC is the tenth largest trade association in the UK, representing the £23 billion private recruitment industry.
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