The City of London Law Society (CLLS) is in talks to take on a mainstream representative role for commercial law firms amid mounting expectations that Chancery Lane is to lose its revenue-generating powers for its trade union role.

The City body has set up a nine-strong working party under CLLS chair David McIntosh to assess the case for broadening its role following the post-Clementi split of the Law Society’s regulatory and representative roles, which is expected to go live next year.