Met Police more than halves legal spend on non-panel firms
Panel spend rises but police service cuts the amount it spends on non-panel firms by 60%
May 25, 2015 at 07:03 PM
2 minute read
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) slashed spending on firms outside its panel last year by more than 60%, figures show.
Numbers released to Legal Week under freedom of information legislation revealed that the police force spent £190,300 on non-panel firms for one-off matters in 2012-13, but this dropped to £63,400 in 2013-14.
In the 2011-12 financial year that spend was even higher at £232,600, 18% up on 2012-13.
However, the MPS's spending with its panel firms rose slightly from £3.88m in 2012-13 to £3.9m in 2013-14.
The force's panel firm spend has grown by 11% since the 2010-11 financial year, up from £3.5m to £3.9m.
There are currently six firms on the MPS panel: Clyde & Co, Weightmans, TLT, Michelmores, Plexus and Capsticks.
One partner who advises the MPS said: "I suspect these figures are largely down to enforcing the panel a bit more rigorously. They've been trying to use the panel firms wherever they can and be a bit stricter with departments' sourcing of legal advice."
The partner also put part of the increase in panel spend down to an uptick in real estate work as the MPS undergoes a programme to reduce its estate by a third by 2016 and invest in new buildings.
The figures show that MPS's in-house spend is still the largest part of its legal budget. The MPS currently employs around 119 legal staff at a cost of £7m a year.
It is understood that the in-house team mostly handles operational issues such as pub and firearms licensing, while litigation is dealt with by external firms.
The MPS panel is split into four lots: commercial, civil litigation, employment and governance and residential property.
It is understood that there are three firms on each of the lots, with Weightmans appointed to all four. Clyde & Co is believed to have two appointments: litigation and employment, while TLT and Michelmores both have two: residential property and commercial.
Michelmores acted on the sale of the iconic MPS headquarters New Scotland Yard in December.
The MPS panel is part of a national police framework meaning that any police force in the country can procure legal services from the panel if they choose to.
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