Personal injury giant Thompsons Solicitors is closing its Middlesbrough office.

Staff at the office only discovered this when representatives of Costa Coffee arrived in their reception to measure the building up for conversion to a coffee shop. Several days later one of the firm's senior partners tipped up to confirm that the branch was indeed closing and staff would have to move to Newcastle, Sheffield or the dole queue. Or maybe just hang around the new premises offering their services to customers who slip or scald themselves.

A lawsuit waiting to happen

Thompsons hasn't had the easiest time of it recently. Insiders say that the firm has been axed from the legal panel of the GMB union, its fourth biggest client. Apparently the GMB suggested that it enter into an ABS with Thompsons in order to share the profits of litigation conducted on behalf of its members. Thompson was, unsurprisingly, keen for the original arrangement to continue - whereby it pocketed the profit itself and paid a referral fee to the union. Its short-sightedness seems to have cost it a client.

The firm declined to comment.