Law Society rejects bid to shave practising fee by £5

THE LAW Society council has rejected calls to reduce the practising certificate fee.

Members voted overwhelmingly against a proposal to amend budget plans that would have seen the fee fall by £5 to £425 a year.

The proposed cut would have seen Law Society revenue reduced by about £400,000.

Members decided to hold back £1.5m for the strategic priorities development fund rather than reduce the fee.

The council has also set aside £1.5m in a general contingency fund.

A further £1m has been held back in a contingency fund for the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors (OSS).

Council member Geoffrey Sandercock of Gwent law firm Granville-West, who voted for the £5 cut, says: "This is an opportunity - that we should not throw away - to make further reductions in the fee when £4m is provided in the budget for contingencies."

The council voted to maintain the fee at £430 and raise extra income that might be needed to, among other things, clear the OSS backlog.