It's something that probably has to be done in terms of disclosing relationships between different parties. He is not sure that from the perspective of lawyers serving middle class individuals the profession is really at the point where a change to the partnership rule is necessary. Acknowledging that people are interested in getting an economic service from a competent lawyer no matter the practice setting, Mr. Bolger said the legal profession is not marketing or structuring its services properly so it's been put on the defensive by people who have more freedom to design and market their services. The blending of services might increase use of law services but it's a risk. Elaborating further on his statements regarding the limited value of disclosure, especially in highly emotional situations, Mr. Bolger said this can be the fault of the lawyer in terms of presentation or of the system where the pile of documents is so high they are not read.
Consumers are also concerned about confidentiality issues.
Some legal service plans have negotiated for a lower lawyer contingency fee percentage in personal injury cases. It would likely be marketed as a plus that the firm has in-house social workers or financial planners or whoever.