Deloitte UK has been granted an alternative business structure (ABS) licence by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), making it the last of the Big Four to move into legal services in the UK.
The SRA has authorised the firm to offer the following reserved legal services:
- Rights of audience
- Conduct of litigation
- Reserved instrument activities
- Probate activities
- Administration of oaths
In January 2018 Deloitte announced its initial plans to expand its legal offering in the UK with the intention to automate ‘repetitive processes’ and ‘routine tasks’.
Deloitte managing partner for tax and legal Matt Ellis said: “We don’t want to replicate a traditional law firm. We’re planning to use our technology and advisory skills to transform legal services and help address many of the challenges lawyers, whether in practice or in-house, are facing in today’s increasingly complex legal environment.”
Earlier this month, Deloitte UK formed an alliance with US law firm Berry Appleman & Leiden (BAL) to focus on immigration services for employers. At the same time, Deloitte Global announced plans to purchase certain non-US BAL operations in a number of countries, including, the UK, through its respective member firms .
