"I really don't see rising premiums clearing out this already oversupplied market because many overhead costs can be cut with technology and cost sharing."
True but only up to a point.
Increased business failure means increased regulatory and compensation costs and you can't share these.
Increased litigation ( plus adverse investment performance) mean increased insurance premia, and you can't share these either.
These two figures could well move from circa €7k per annum to circa €20k per annum per solicitor.
The lowest prices in the profession - certainly in the commoditised conveyancing stuff - tend to be offered by those who are already operating on a 'cut overhead to the bone' model. They have very little left that they can trim.
With these figures, there is a serious enough barrier to the solicitor who has perhaps recently been laid off and who would otherwise consider practicing in a small way from the living room\home office or indeed from a shared office. If you are billing €300k, these increases are annoying but manageable. If you are doing 6 conveyances a month at €900 each ( which I am sure some solicitors at this end of the market would be charging), this sort of increase is the difference between staying in practice or getting out of law and doing something else.
So, the increased costs will not be enough of themselves to drive solicitors out of business - but they will certainly discourage further entrants.
True but only up to a point.
Increased business failure means increased regulatory and compensation costs and you can't share these.
Increased litigation ( plus adverse investment performance) mean increased insurance premia, and you can't share these either.
These two figures could well move from circa €7k per annum to circa €20k per annum per solicitor.
The lowest prices in the profession - certainly in the commoditised conveyancing stuff - tend to be offered by those who are already operating on a 'cut overhead to the bone' model. They have very little left that they can trim.
With these figures, there is a serious enough barrier to the solicitor who has perhaps recently been laid off and who would otherwise consider practicing in a small way from the living room\home office or indeed from a shared office. If you are billing €300k, these increases are annoying but manageable. If you are doing 6 conveyances a month at €900 each ( which I am sure some solicitors at this end of the market would be charging), this sort of increase is the difference between staying in practice or getting out of law and doing something else.
So, the increased costs will not be enough of themselves to drive solicitors out of business - but they will certainly discourage further entrants.