Shared legal service in Norfolk opens for business

The shared legal service project involving a number of local authorities in Norfolk will open for business on 1 October.

Called nplaw (Norfolk Public Law), the service is made up of 70 lawyers from Norfolk County Council, Norwich City Council and Great Yarmouth Borough Council.

Staff have transferred from the city council and Great Yarmouth to the county council as part of setting up nplaw. The project has been funded by Improvement East, which backs schemes aimed at improving public sector efficiency.

The authorities said the service was committed to being “a significant provider of legal services for public sector bodies”. Existing clients include Broadland District Council, the Broads Authority, schools and other public sector organisations in Norfolk and across the country.

Nplaw will have particular expertise in areas such as prosecutions, litigation, public procurement, social services, planning, employment, education, property, highways and environment, housing, standards, compulsory purchase amongst others.

Victoria McNeill, head of law for Norfork County Council and practice director for nplaw, said the fully integrated service would allow organisations to tap into “a wealth of expertise”.

She added: “Through the creation of nplaw we can be at the forefront of offering all that knowledge and talent to other public sector bodies.”

A strongpoint of the service is that the three authorities are both clients and stakeholders, according to Philip Hyde, head of legal and democratic services at Norwich City Council.

“This allows all three councils, and their clients, access to more solicitors with a broader range of experience which will also help to deliver a more efficient service,” he added.

Local Government Lawyer first revealed plans for the project in May this year.