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This is a matter of the utmost concern for a number of reasons.Let us consider the evidence.

The SRA, which is supposed to be an impartial regulator, commissioned research entitled " Qualitative Research into Alternative Business Structures" dated May 2014. In this report it is stated "There was a clear consensus that the ABS would offer the best fit for remaining competitive and taking advantage of new opportunities"

In the Practice Note issued by the Law Society 28 March 2012 there is a statement by the then Law Society President John Wotton to the effect that the Law Society welcomed three new ABS entities created at the time because (inter alia) it would increase choice for "consumers".

So the legal establishment has been so obsessed with making these structures a success they have lost sight of the fact that both bodies were supposed to promote the interests of all solicitors.

I recall Des Hudson a few years ago at an international law conference I think in Boston extolling the virtues of such structures.

The tragedy is that every time one of the law giants is felled we all suffer in terms of the irreparable damage done to the profession's reputation