The Memo: It’s time to circle the wagons: UK firms fight for a place on the Legal Panel for Government

The Crown Commercial Service has announced that firms have until Tuesday 8 April to put their offer down for a position in the (recently renamed) Legal Panel for Government. There will be new appointments across four combined groups: general legal advice, complex legal advice, specialist rail and trade law. The government has valued this combination at £820 million, and most of these funds will be directed towards general legal advice. Once established, the panel will run for three years, with the potential for a 12-month extension. 

So, what does the structure currently look like? Established in 2021, the roster consists of 42 firms: twelve on the general advice panel, seven on financial and complex advice, eight for rail and 15 for trade law and disputes. Dentons is the only firm that appears across all four groups but firms like DLA Piper, Linklaters, Addleshaw Goddard, Burges Salmon, Pinsent Mason, Linklaters and Ashurst all work under more than one panel.  

Examples of work completed by firms on this panel include Pinsent Masons’ investigation into institutional racism and racial microaggressions in a Higher Education institution. Burges Salmon also advised the Department for Transport on its £950 million Rapid Charging Fund, and TLT worked with the government in connection with its energy security and carbon reduction plans across England and Wales. 

The new contract will begin on 30 September 2025 so, until then, we’ll have to wait and see which firms will be successful in joining the panel.