LEGAL FUTURES » Legal Services Board

Massive unmet legal need among small businesses, landmark research finds

Neil Rose — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:04:34 +0000

Legal problems are costing small businesses in England and Wales £100bn a year, with fears over the cost of legal advice meaning they are far more likely to go it alone than seek help, authoritative new research from the Legal Services Board has found.

The post Massive unmet legal need among small businesses, landmark research finds appeared first on LEGAL FUTURES.

Unanimous South Eastern Circuit backing gives green light to QASA boycott

Neil Rose — Sun, 19 May 2013 23:02:26 +0000

The prospect of barristers boycotting the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates became almost certain on Saturday after all but one of more than 1,000 members of the South Eastern Circuit said they would refuse to sign up to it.

The post Unanimous South Eastern Circuit backing gives green light to QASA boycott appeared first on LEGAL FUTURES.

Are we headed for the Legal Services Act 2015?

Neil Rose — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:23:34 +0000

Yesterday’s announcement that Lord Chancellor Chris Grayling had rejected the Legal Services Board’s (LSB) recommendation that will-writing become a reserved legal activity was not a total shock. I reported in February that the LSB was nervous given Mr Grayling’s anti-regulation agenda and it was encouraging supporters to lobby the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). If nothing else, those (mainly abroad) who fear that the LSB is too close to the government can rest easy – this is the second significant slap in the face for the LSB after the MoJ in 2011 disregarded its conclusion that the case to ban referral fees was not made out.

The post Are we headed for the Legal Services Act 2015? appeared first on LEGAL FUTURES.

Legal price comparison websites “begin to sign up” to good practice standards

Dan Bindman — Thu, 09 May 2013 23:05:42 +0000

Five legal price comparison websites have signed up to good practice standards issued by two regulators and the Legal Services Consumer Panel – although they are to remain voluntary, with no external validation.

The post Legal price comparison websites “begin to sign up” to good practice standards appeared first on LEGAL FUTURES.

Flood stokes cab-rank rule argument

Neil Rose — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:01:46 +0000

The row over Legal Services Board-commissioned research that recommended removal of the cab-rank rule stepped up a further notch yesterday after one of the academics who conducted it hit back at the critiques published by the Bar Council and Bar Standards Board.

The post Flood stokes cab-rank rule argument appeared first on LEGAL FUTURES.

Bringing all legal advice into regulatory net may resolve consumer confusion, says LSB chief

Neil Rose — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 23:04:27 +0000

The status quo over reserved and unreserved legal activities is unsustainable and the answer may be for all legal advice to be regulated, the chief executive of the Legal Services Board has suggested.

The post Bringing all legal advice into regulatory net may resolve consumer confusion, says LSB chief appeared first on LEGAL FUTURES.

New duty to support growth should not allow regulators to block “risky business models”

Dan Bindman — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:03:31 +0000

A proposed statutory duty on frontline regulators to consider economic growth must not be used to probe the business plans of new entrants to the market or block “risky business models”, the Legal Services Board has cautioned.

The post New duty to support growth should not allow regulators to block “risky business models” appeared first on LEGAL FUTURES.

LSB hits back strongly at critics

Dan Bindman — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:06:43 +0000

The Legal Services Board (LSB) has hit back at its critics, accusing frontline legal regulators of being “uncomfortable” with the language of competition and failing to examine the impact of regulation on the market.

The post LSB hits back strongly at critics appeared first on LEGAL FUTURES.

Candid camera? Barristers now free to talk to the media about their cases

Neil Rose — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 23:04:06 +0000

Barristers can now speak to the press about their cases, after the Bar’s Code of Conduct was changed. The end to the rule prohibiting barristers from expressing personal opinion publicly in relation to their work finally brings them in line with solicitor-advocates.

The post Candid camera? Barristers now free to talk to the media about their cases appeared first on LEGAL FUTURES.

Fresh cab-rank rule row as LSB approves public access reforms

Neil Rose — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 23:03:29 +0000

The Legal Services Board has criticised the Bar Standards Board’s failure to apply the cab-rank rule to public access work and said this omission will reduce the impact of rule changes that widen the scope for barristers dealing directly with clients.

The post Fresh cab-rank rule row as LSB approves public access reforms appeared first on LEGAL FUTURES.