MANAGING and senior partners at law firms throughout Merseyside believe that Liverpool businesses are ignoring the legal talent on their own doorstep in favour of London-based solicitors and barristers.
Some also believe there should be positive discrimination to keep the work in city – while others are very much against it.
Following Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard's decision to instruct a London law firm in a recent libel action against a magazine which claimed he was considering a move to Real Madrid, Management Partners Merseyside asked if too many of the region's businesses are following Gerrard's example and taking legal advice from London and other cities when it is easily available closer to home.
As many as 86% of senior and managing partners believe that the Liverpool business community is too keen to look outside the city, with 14% saying that the business community is loyal to Liverpool firms.
Despite the findings, Patrick Gaul, managing partner at Weightmans, believes the glass is half full not half empty.
He says: "Whilst sometimes it is disappointing to see local people and businesses going outside of the city for legal services, we have to be realistic.
"There are some very good firms elsewhere, people have a choice and we live in a global village.
"London continues to be an international legal centre and in an area such as defamation has huge expertise and heritage. We should not be parochial. I bet we export far more revenue in legal services than we lose to firms outside of Liverpool."
He adds: "Professional services as a sector makes a huge contribution to the city's economy and there are many excellent local law firms who operate on a national and one or two who operate on an international scale.So in short there is no need to be downhearted. There will always be one or two that slip through the net but the general health of the Liverpool legal market is excellent."
Lawrence Downey, managing partner at Mace & Jones, is an advocate of positive discrimination to keep legal work in Liverpool.
"The use of legal advisers outside the city is a particular hobbyhorse of mine. Liverpool has a wealth of legal talent and experience in virtually every area of the law, and the local cost base means that legal services are, typically, also delivered more cost effectively than by lawyers elsewhere,� he says.
"If you combine relevant expertise with value for money available in Liverpool why would anyone seek legal advice elsewhere? There needs to be more commitment - positive discrimination, if you like - by local businesses, private individuals and the public sector to using the services that are readily available locally. It is, after all, just what happens in other parts of the country, to the benefit of the local economy."
Ian Austin, managing partner at Halliwells, who disagrees, says: "I wouldn't be for positive discrimination at all – in fact, I'd be positively against it. Why shouldn't we be able to compete on a level playing field?
"The key is to be able to offer the best quality and the best value. It's a competitive market and clients are entitled to shop around. We need to make sure they don't feel the need to do so.
"If Liverpool businesses are looking outside the region for advice they're obviously not aware of the quality of legal advice available here. That's a worry to me and something we need to address.�
Commenting on the findings, Donal Bannon, president of The Liverpool Law Society said: "Whilst it will not always be possible for local businesses to support local firms, it is to be encouraged.
"Raising the profile of the local firms and the quality of expertise available locally should ensure that at least consideration is given as to whether there is an economic, or other, consideration which justifies firms being instructed from outside the region."
Tom Handley, director of chambers at Exchange Chambers says:"Despite the positives that come out of this poll, it's clear that there is still work to be done in making local businesses aware that in the vast majority of cases there really is no need to look outside the region."