LBLA names law firms to new £16m legal services framework

The London Boroughs’ Legal Alliance (LBLA) has named the firms appointed to its new Solicitors Panel, which is worth potentially £16m over four years.

The new framework came into effect on 8 July 2022 and will be effective until 7 July 2025, with an option to extend for a further 12 months.

This panel is the fourth such procurement exercise undertaken by the LBLA, advised once again by specialist legal consultancy Kennedy Cater.

When the previous framework was procured in 2017, its value was estimated to be £6.3m.

Westminster City Council acted as central purchasing body on the procurement exercise – the other participating authorities are listed below.

Tim Morel, a founding Director at Kennedy Cater, said: “This procurement process was rigorous in its aim to select firms who could best meet the LBLA’s significant cost and quality criteria. We are delighted that the firms delivered are recognised experts in the field of local government and public law and as such are well placed to provide the LBLA with the high levels of legal support they demand.”

Kennedy Cater added that also integral to the selection of firms was their commitment to provide an extensive range of value added and social value benefits including training of the inhouse legal teams and other knowledge transfer initiatives.

The panel is comprised of two Lots:

  1. Regeneration.
  2. The full range of Legal Services, including Litigation, Commercial, Property and Miscellaneous public law work.

The firms appointed were:

Lot 1 - Regeneration

  • Anthony Collins (new to this lot)
  • Ashfords
  • Bevan Brittan
  • Browne Jacobson (new)
  • DWF
  • Pinsent Masons
  • Sharpe Pritchard
  • Trowers & Hamlins (new)

Lot 2 - Full range of Legal Services (including Litigation, Commercial, Property and Miscellaneous Local Government (public law) work.)

  • Anthony Collins
  • Ashfords (new to this lot)
  • Bevan Brittan
  • Birketts (new)
  • Browne Jacobson (new)
  • Capsticks
  • Sharpe Pritchard
  • TLT

Parveen Akhtar, Director of Law (Monitoring Officer) at Bi-Borough Legal Services (Kensington and Chelsea Council and Westminster City Council), said: ‘'As the LBLA continues to grow and thrive it is important for us to harness the expertise and support of the firms that have made it onto our framework. Given the pressures faced by local authorities across the country we are particularly pleased to have secured, once again, quality services at highly competitive rates.”

Alongside Westminster City Council, the participating authorities are the London Boroughs of Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Ealing, Enfield, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey, Havering, Hillingdon, Islington, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Royal Borough of Greenwich, the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, the City of London Corporation, HB Public Law (the London Boroughs of Harrow, Barnet, and Hounslow, Aylesbury Vale District Council, and Slough Borough Council) and the London Fire Brigade. The framework agreement will also be available to other local authorities within Greater London and South-East England (Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex).