Criminal law firm Tuckers is to make its billing, diary management and other back-office operations available to rival firms in an innovative partnering initiative that it hopes will cut operating costs and save lawyers’ jobs.

Firms can pay to use elements of Tuckers’ administrative systems specifically needed to run a criminal practice, such as diary management, making and chasing legal aid applications, file review processes and creating compliance documents. ‘Shared services’ including finance, billing, IT, facilities, secretarial, marketing and HR are being marketed as part of the package.

Tuckers practice director Adam Makepeace (pictured) told the Gazette that firms can pay to use the services they want and remain independent from Tuckers, or operate as a franchise, retaining their own name or using Tuckers branding.

He said the national firm will also consider mergers, but would rather pursue a model in which partner firms remain independent entities. Makepeace said Tuckers would consider applying to become an alternative business structure if that became required to facilitate its proposal, but said it was not necessary as all its current owners and managers are lawyers.

Tuckers has already had ‘tentative talks’ with two firms interested in using its back-office set up.

Makepeace said: ‘Our solution is a flexible concept. If firms just want us to do their police station billing, we can do that, but if they want to operate as a franchise, we can do that too.

‘It offers a way of retaining revenue-producing, highly skilled staff and lowering back-office costs. If firms can reduce their back-office costs, it will help save lawyers’ jobs,’ he added.

Senior partner Franklin ­Sinclair said a key challenge for Tuckers is to ensure that firms trust them and get over any ‘unfounded perception’ that Tuckers wants to steal their clients.

He said the plan is a commercial proposition for Tuckers which relies on obtaining a ­contribution to its overheads from partner firms.

‘We can’t succeed unless firms trust us not to steal their clients,’ he added.

‘This would lead to failure of the concept, and a standalone Tuckers is every bit as vulnerable as any other standalone firm.’