There has been a bit in the press recently about the rush of clients we get the first day back at work after Christmas. It is a busy time for family lawyers as sadly there are many people wanting advice about divorce. I do not think it just that people are forced together for a long period. It is also that people have time - perhaps too much time - to think about their lives. It is not only divorce but other types of work increase. The dark days and ice bring accidents and there are sudden deaths as well as more criminal work.

None of this January rush changes the fact that this year will be tough for lawyers. We have the legal aid cuts and the fact there is less going on. Fewer people are moving house, setting up businesses, doing deals and getting married which will all produce work in the future.

Money is the root of all evil and the source of many problems for us lawyers. We need to increase money coming in, get it more quickly and more of it, and try to reduce the haemorrhaging away. Easier said than done.

Governments can make 'efficiencies', meaning cuts, but it is difficult for small firm to make savings. We have all for years been trying to save money on stationery, post, insurance and the rest. The biggest bill is staff and we know too well that it is not just wages but all the extras like training, NI, holiday and leave cover. In a small firm everyone does a slightly different job. If you have 10 conveyancers it is easy to cut two but if you have 10 people doing different work it is more difficult.

I have not noticed a rush to merge like in previous times of recession. I do not really think there are economies of scale in the legal profession. What I have noticed is that firms work more closely together. We do one type of work that next door does not, and so we send clients there, and they send us work back.

What we cannot plan for is the unexpected. This year we have already had problems with the Legal Services Commission paying the contract money. We were notified after 4pm the day before the money was due in. If we had been told 30 minutes earlier we could have delayed the payments which we needed to make. It is all reminiscent of the problems two or three years ago when firms had drastic reductions in their money at very short notice. I have been reassured this was a one off problem.

Let’s hope so. Anyway, happy new year.