HCA cuts law firm panel by a third
The Homes and Communities Agency, the national housing and regeneration delivery agency for England, has cut the number of external legal advisers it uses from 21 to 14 law firms.
The new HCA panel – divided between a national panel and three regional panels – has been appointed on a four-year contract from 1 April 2010. The successful firms are:
- National: Berwin Leighton Paisner, Eversheds, Pinsent Masons and Trowers & Hamlins
- South: Ashfords, Bond Pearce, DLA Piper, Denton Wilde Sapte, Hammonds
- Central: Browne Jacobson, Denton Wilde Sapte, Hewitsons
- North: Forshaws Davies Ridgway, Pannone, Walker Morris
The national panel will focus on providing advice and services in relation to corporate and major programme matters as well as projects with a national significance.
Judith Roberts, head of legal services at HCA, said: “We believe this streamlined panel will allow us to operate more effectively and achieve efficiencies on costs. As a new agency we are facing new challenges and initiatives that have inevitably involved our acquiring additional skills and expertise, which is why the make up of our panel is different from its predecessor.
“While we have divided the panel into national and regional teams, we expect the firms to work together on a collaborative basis, sharing knowledge between themselves and with our in-house legal team.”
The agency inherited 21 law firms from its predecessor bodies, English Partnerships and The Housing Corporation.
Four firms – Ashfords, Browne Jacobson, Pannone and Walker Morris – secured places on the panel for the first time.
