Law Society: council decision is blow for leadershipThe Law Society’s reform agenda was last week dealt a blow by its own council when members defied the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and voted against proposals to allow solicitors to pay referral fees.

The 18 October vote puts the society into conflict with the OFT which, it emerged last week, has already warned Chancery Lane that it plans to pursue a case under UK competition law if the rules on fee sharing are not liberalised.