Orange's UK panel firms put on notice

Telecoms giant Orange UK is set to revamp its roster of legal advisers in its first panel review for three years.

The company, which runs the mobile phone and broadband arms of the Orange Group, is inviting all 10 panel firms to apply for new contracts over the next few weeks.

Orange UK counts Field Fisher Waterhouse and Olswang as its main legal advisers, ;while ;Bevan Brittan, Burges Salmon, Cobbetts, Carter Lemon Camerons, Eversheds and TLT Solicitors deal with regional property matters.

Baker & McKenzie and Mayer Brown have also been instructed in the past few years.

Orange vice-president of legal and regulatory Amanda Doyle ;said ;she ;was approaching the review with "an open mind" and would not necessarily be axeing firms from the panel.

She added: "We haven't done it for three years, and this organisation, like so many, likes to keep a constant review of its operating costs."

Orange UK has an annual legal outlay of around £2.5m, most of which is spent on maintaining and enlarging ;its ;property portfolio.

Orange normally overhauls its panel every two years, but delayed the latest review after merging the in-house functions of the mobile and broadband businesses under Doyle last year.