News

Solicitors have voted in favour of resinstating the ban on referral fees. Just over 20,000 Law Society members were in favour of the resolution deploring the Council's decision to sanction them.

 

120,000 ballots were sent out and there was a 17 per cent response rate. The result is not binding on the Council.

 

The Society's President Edward Nally said, "The Council will consider the result of the ballot at its December meeting and decide the way forward then. The Society has in any event undertaken to review the workings of the new referral fee rule after a year of operation, in the Spring of next year.

 

"When the Council makes or changes rules, it has to decide the matter on the basis of the public interest and for that reason the Council cannot be bound on regulatory issues by any ballot of members."