Much more to learn on the impact of ABS: Brown

As the Law Society of Upper Canada continues consultations on the issue of alternative business structures (ABS), Toronto critical injury lawyer Patrick Brown tells Lawyers Weekly it’s important to remain open-minded, though many concerns exist over the prospect of non-lawyers owning law firms.

The law society launched an investigation into the ABS issue on Sept. 26, seeking information on whether it is in the public interest to remove traditional prohibitions on non-lawyers owning law firms, in whole or in part, reports Lawyers Weekly.

Brown, principal partner with McLeish Orlando LLP, is a member of the Ontario Bar Association’s ABS taskforce and tells the legal publication there’s much more to learn on the potential impact of such a plan.

‘A lot of concern’

“So far I don’t think anybody has made any definitive type of conclusions at all but I do get a feeling, obviously, that there is a lot of concern about alternative business structures: how it’s going to impact the legal profession and as well how it’s going to impact our client bases, and everybody has kind of a take on it but everybody, I suspect, will have strong views on it,” Brown says in the article.

Brown says ABS could be a major issue when it comes to client bases and how services may be affected.

“I also see it as a huge issue in relation to foreign ownership of (Canadian) law firms. I think, at the doors, you’ve got accounting firms waiting to get into the legal industry. You’ve got different entities, all waiting, just trying to get into this (personal injury) area of practice and I think, from my initial review of this, it will be negative,” Brown tells Lawyers Weekly.