b'8 Local Government LawyerFigure 8: What are your THREE biggest management challenges in the foreseeable future, in order of importance?In top three First choice Second choice Third choiceRecruitment and retenon 70% 36% 28% 6%Cost control/budgetary issues 53% 30% 14% 9%Lack of experience/resource in client departments 36% 3% 11% 22%Constuonal issues/corporate governance 28% 6% 13% 9%Dealing with new or unfamiliar areas of law 20% 3% 5% 12%Maintaining sta morale 20% 8% 4% 8%Growing the role and inuence of the legal department within the council 14% 3% 5% 6%Implemenng new technology 12% 0% 3% 9%Restructuring the legal department 11% 5% 3% 3%Developing or expanding the provision of traded legal services 10% 3% 5% 2%Ligaon/risk management 8% 0% 5% 3%Managing external advisers 6% 0% 0% 6%Defending the legal department from cutbacks 5% 2% 3% 0%Downsizing the legal department 2% 0% 0% 2%Figure 9: Are you in (or have been part of)Figure 10: To what extent has the shared services arrangement in which you are (or were) a some form of shared services arrangementpart of met your expectations?with another legal team or teams?The advantages have signicantly jused the costs and other disadvantages 36%5% The advantages have reasonably jused the costs and other disadvantages 41%7% The experience has been broadly neutral 5%32% The advantages have moderately failed to jusfy the costs and other disadvantages 9%The advantages have signicantly failed to jusfy the costs and other disadvantages 9%Figure 11: Do you currently sell, or plan to sell, legal services to other organisations?Yes, we presently sell legal services to34%56% external organisaonsWe have denite plans to sell legal services7%to external organisaonsYes It is presently under consideraon 21%NoWe used to be part of a shared service, butWe have in the past, but no longer do so 7%are no longerWe are planning to become part of a sharedNo, we have no plans to provide31%legal service in the foreseeable future legal services externallyhas been juggling priorities and building andthe proportion of legal departments that sayFigure 12: Has your authority bought legal maintaining relationships with key clientthat they provide external legal services (FIGservices from another local authority?officers. 11) has dropped from 55% in 2015 to 34% The other method by which localthis time. A further 7% say they plan to startYes, frequently 7%authority legal teams can help each otherdoing so in the future, but exactly the sameYes, occasionally 43%out is by trading legal services with oneproportion say they have stopped sellingYes, but would be reluctant to do so again 7%another but here again, growth is lukewarmlegal services externally. Not yet, but would seriously consider doing so 21%at best. Most legal departments are tooParticipants were also asked if theyNo, would not consider doing so 22%busy with their own work and the Solicitorsregularly bought legal services from other Regulation Authoritys (SRA) increasinglyauthorities (FIG 12)only 7% said they strict interpretation of when to whom in- regularly did so and another 7% said that house departments can sell legal services tothey would be reluctant to do so again. external clients without an ABS means thatConsequently, the drive towards ABSs,'