State of play: practising in the North West

The Liverpool City Region (LCR), which encompasses the City of Liverpool and the surrounding districts of Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral, has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance over the past ten years. It comprises one and a half million people and 38,000 VAT-registered businesses, worth £25.3bn to the UK economy. The legal sector in the region provides enabling expertise in a cost-competitive environment.

Business drivers

Key business drivers in the LCR economy are advanced manufacturing, life sciences, financial and professional services, maritime and logistics, the visitor economy and more recently, renewables. Together, these have created thousands of new jobs. Historically, the legal sector pioneered insurance law, thanks to the city's maritime and manual industries.

The City Region is home to many leading international businesses such as Atlantic Container Lines, Cammell Laird, Jaguar Land Rover, Maersk, Novartis, NSG Pilkington, Peel Group, Prinovis, Santander, Stobart Group and Unilever.

Liverpool, and the Merseyside area, has not been as affected as other regional areas with the loss of firms during the recession, such as those closures seen in Manchester and Birmingham. There have been a few along the way, and a few mergers, and there may be more to come. But at the moment firm numbers are holding up quite well.

Some of the large commercial firms have restructured, but the atmosphere recently has been more optimistic, with the property market especially improving, and commercial business generally.

The International Festival for Business, which is being held in Liverpool and other locations in the North West in June and July, is particularly relevant to the larger commercial firms and they are making their presence felt by manning stands alongside the Law Society stand at The Hub, and by organising a range of events - both business and pleasure - during the Business Festival.

They are eager to capitalise on the opportunities of meeting representatives of businesses from all over the world that are travelling to the area for the festival. People will be looking to set up or expand their businesses - and will need legal help and advice to do so. Local firms have a particular expertise in maritime law and the fact that the festival had a whole week dedicated to maritime businesses was fortuitous.

Badly hit

However, there are a number of challenges. Reduction in legal aid has caused huge difficulties for criminal, civil and family practitioners (as well as their potential clients). Employment lawyers for both applicant and respondent have also been hit by the massive decrease in tribunal claims that are being taken, since fees were introduced last year.

In addition there are a large number of specialist personal injury firms in the Merseyside area - both claimant and defendant - who have been badly hit by the reduction in fees, and volume of work, in road traffic accident claims. These changes are especially hitting the sole practitioners and smaller firms.

The local courts have suffered cutbacks, as elsewhere in the country, and there has been the same unease and worry caused by the Mitchell case. However, Liverpool Law Society has a good relationship with the staff and judges of the local courts and lawyers cooperate wherever possible to make things slightly easier.

The society has regular meetings with local councillors and MPs where lawyers share concerns and the society can explain its position, and get the ear of politicians to put its side of the story, rather than them hearing about all the 'fat cat' lawyers from the tabloids. The relationship is a productive one of open dialogue and has resulted in a number of parliamentary questions being created by committee members and put down in the House of Commons.

As a legal community, we care very much about our clients and their access to justice, which is constantly being eroded. It is more and more difficult for qualified practitioners to be able to spare time for pro bono work when they are trying to keep their heads above water and put in as much chargeable time as they can.

However, our local universities are helping to fill the gap and we have many bright young students helping where they can, for example Liverpool University students run a law clinic giving free legal advice (assisted by some volunteer qualified practitioners), and others help out in the local citizens advice bureaux, advising on welfare benefits and filling in forms.

Lawyers - and especially Liverpool lawyers, are resourceful and adaptable. Local firms are taking full advantage of any new opportunity that arises, in types of claims, and in new business models.

Glenys Hunt is the president and Sarah Poblete is the CEO of Liverpool Law Society www.liverpoollawsociety.org.uk