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LocalGovernmentLawyer The Legal Department of the Future February 2016 5 our roundtable of heads of legal on pages 16-22 We went on to ask respondents whether demand for legal advice was set to grow fall or stay the same in the foreseeable future. Some 44 expect the overall volume of work to increase significantly i.e by 10 or more up from 37 in 2012. A further third 37 expect demand to increase slightly by 5-10 meaning that overall four in five heads of legal 81 expect an increased workload. As few as 5 of respondents predict a decrease. What are the reasons for this The survey suggests that there is no single factor at play but several. On the positive side there has been a return of regeneration projects and property work aimed at boosting economic growth in local communities. There has been an upturn in the economy and the council needs to become financially self-sufficient leading to more commercial projects says one head of legal. As you would expect with a growing economy there has been a rise in the number of planning applications leading to an increase in inquiries and Planning Court hearings. Heads of legal also point to the work generated by local authorities having to respond to their financial predicament. This has translated into restructurings service closures outsourcing shared services asset sales and a greater interest in income generation. A number of respondents highlight the intention of their authorities to become commissioners of services rather than direct providers. Then you have to throw into the mix factors affecting individual practice areas such as childrens and adult social services. The Care Act 2014 and the Supreme Court ruling in the Cheshire West case on deprivations of liberty both genuinely landmark developments are still being felt by all those authorities with responsibility for adult care. In childrens services reforms aimed at ensuring that the majority of care proceedings complete within a 26-week period have had the effect of front-loading legal work. The number of care applications received by Cafcass has continued to rise relentlessly with the total for the first half of 201516 pointing towards yet another record year. Levels of litigation remain high as well particularly in relation to judicial review proceedings as claimants seek to challenge the implementation of cuts to services. A number of local authorities have faced legal actions as they seek to shake up their provision of library services for example. So what can legal teams and those responsible for managing them do to tackle this conundrum We asked heads of legal about the following strategic options Changing legal department sizes and structures Getting the most out of the authoritys external legal spend Implementing shared services Setting up alternative business structures Generating extra revenue by selling legal services and Partnering with the private sector. Fig 1