THE president of the Law Society of Scotland says the legal profession is ready to face the challenges of the current economic environment.

Ahead of the society's annual conference in Glasgow today, Austin Lafferty said mergers and a reduction in Legal Aid had caused major changes in the sector.

Mr Lafferty said the introduction of alternative business structures, which will allow non-solicitors to hold a minority stake in a law firm, could provide opportunities to thrive.

"If we can organise ourselves as limited companies then we are poised to take the correct return from the work we are best placed to do," he said.