Consumer panel
Consumers happy with shift to online legal services, survey finds
The pandemic has accelerated the shift to the online delivery of legal services, with consumers generally happy with the experience, major new research has found.
Lawyers should have to take competence tests “every 10 years”
Lawyers should have to take online tests every 10 years to prove that they remain competent in their specialist fields, the chair of the Legal Services Consumer Panel said yesterday.
SRA eyes pilot to promote greater unbundling of legal services
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is planning a pilot with other legal regulators on how to extend the use of unbundling as evidence showed it could save consumers up to 50% in fees, it has emerged.
“No evidence” of worse outcomes from unregulated firms
There is “no conclusive evidence” to show that consumers who use unregulated services obtain worse outcomes than those using regulated firms, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has said.
Law firms should advertise unbundled advice, says consumer panel
Law firms should advertise unbundled services or offer them directly to clients, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has said, highlighting the “untapped potential” to support consumers in accessing advice.
“Troubling inequality” persists for BAME consumers of legal services
A “troubling inequality” between BAME and White British consumers in the way they access legal services has changed little in the five years since it raised the issue, the consumer panel has found.
Consumers “more likely to both shop around and complain”
Consumers of legal services are more likely to shop around and to make a formal complaint if they do not get what they want than in previous years, new research has found.
Unregulated firms should have access to regulatory sandboxes
Legal regulators should allow unregulated firms to test their ideas in regulatory sandboxes set up to foster innovation, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has said.
Call for impartial websites on quality of lawyers’ services
Independent websites providing impartial information on the quality of legal services providers are needed to guide people looking for a lawyer, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has argued.
LSB calls in the public to advise on policy
The Legal Services Board is to create a standing panel of members of the public to help develop future policies – in addition to its existing consumer panel.
Blog
How could instant messaging transform your law firm?
The vast majority of law firms have no instant messaging capability. In what other sector is that the case? Most stick to traditional communications channels. In 2021 there’s no good reason for that.
From cost saving to revenue making – post-pandemic commercial success
Commercial success is the driving force for ambitious law firms and it should come as no surprise that many have a renewed determination to re-evaluate their businesses in the wake of Covid-19.
Success in-house – what people don’t tell you about how to get there
TV dramas have made many people think that the legal profession consists of heroes (or villains) in high-flying firms or public prosecution. In reality, nearly a quarter of solicitors work in-house.
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