Has the Law Society shot itself in the foot with its CMS Proposal?

It is exceedingly rare to find near-unanimous agreement across the UK legal sector, yet a major industry survey reveals that 99% of law firms oppose the Law Society’s plan to endorse a tiny handful of preferred case and practice management software suppliers.

The controversial move, alongside the Society’s £10 million investment into Veyo, the upcoming joint-venture conveyancing portal, has prompted practitioners and software providers to ask a fundamental question: Is the Law Society representing its members’ interests, or simply justifying its own commercial existence?

Survey Results: Absolute Opposition to Preferred Suppliers

A survey conducted by the Legal Software Suppliers Association (LSSA), whose members account for roughly 80% of the UK law firm IT market, revealed overwhelmingly hostility toward the scheme:

“Diverse Case and Practice Management solutions reflect the requirements of the legal profession from the smallest to the largest… The Law Society should take note of its membership’s views… The profession does not want this, and considers it totally impractical.”

— Roger Hancock, Chief Executive of the LSSA

The £10m Veyo Portal: Misaligned Priorities?

Critics argue that top-down projects like the Veyo conveyancing portal impose expensive, divisive solutions onto problems that barely exist for high-street firms.

Rather than spending £10 million pushing speed-and-target-driven portals, the Law Society’s primary focus ought to be on risk management, PII compliance, and quality control

At a time when conveyancing professional negligence claims remain a primary driver of soaring PII premiums, industry consensus suggests that energy and capital should be spent on reducing practice risk rather than commercial vendor deals.

Silence from Chancery Lane

When invited to comment on the LSSA’s survey findings and the growing backlash from law firm partners, the Law Society offered no comment.