Today, a small item in The Lawyer’s Breaking News made me sit up and take note.  A new management consultancy, Kerma Partners, has been formed through a three way tie-up of consultants on either side of the pond between independent UK-based consultant Alan Hodgart (for many years of Hodgart Temporal), six principals of Edge International, including Nick Jarrett-Kerr (a former chief executive of the old Bevan Ashford), and Canada-based Tim Leishman of Leishman Performance Strategy.

Kerma Partners began work on 1 December to advise not just law firms in various jurisdictions, but also various other professional services firms. The real significance of this announcement is that it provides yet further very clear evidence that the legal landscape in the UK will be fundamentally changed once the Legal Services Bill become law, which is anticipated next year.  Kerma’s home page gives prominence to the Clementi reforms when it states: “As the Legal Services Bill reaches the House of Lords [it had its second reading only yesterday 6 December], the introduction of outside investment and management to law firms inches closer to reality.”

There follows a very good article from Alan Hodgart entitled “Taking the Threat of Alternative Business Structures Seriously”.

The partners of Kerma (the name "stands for causing change, improvement and excitement in leading professional service firms around the world") clearly expect to be very busy.  Watch this space.