Kent and Geldards in tie-up to provide legal services to public sector

The legal team at Kent County Council has linked up with Midlands and Wales-based law firm Geldards to launch a joint legal service for the public sector.

The service – called Law:Public – is thought to be the first public-private venture of its type. With access to more than 100 lawyers in total across the two organisations, it will target local authorities and other public sector bodies.

Geoff Wild, Director of Law & Governance at Kent County Council, said: “Geography is not the issue any more; it’s about getting the work done effectively and at the right price that is important in today’s market with the current constraints on public sector spending.

“What we are offering is the ability to handle a large volume of work aligned to the highly specialised expertise both Geldards and ourselves possess at a price which we believe will save councils a substantial chunk of their budget.”

Geldards chairman David Williams said Law:Public has the potential to cut local government external legal spend and deliver better service by using the two organisations’ combined expertise.

He added: “For services delivered by Law:Public we are aiming at a maximum hourly rate of £150 which will be achieved through an average of our rates and Kent County Council's. We believe Law:Public leads the way in the external delivery of legal services to local and central government and the wider public sector.”