Consumer panel
Consumer panel backs greater recognition of McKenzie Friends
A new trade association, the Society of McKenzie Friends, is to be launched to represent the non-lawyer advisers who charge fees, as the first step towards self-regulation. The news comes as the Legal Services Consumer Panel concludes that the public interest benefits of MFs outweigh the risks.
Regulators pledge data for comparison sites, as panel goes undercover to investigate web advice
The Legal Services Consumer Panel has conducted a ‘mystery shopping’ exercise to assess consumers’ experience of online self-help tools for a divorce. Meanwhile, work by the panel to open up data held by regulators to be used by legal comparison websites took a major step forward.
Call for QC reaccreditation as QASA challenge staggers on
The possibility of introducing re-accreditation for QCs, meaning that silk would no longer be a permanent appointment, and a power to strip them of the rank in the event of misconduct, was floated last week.
Lawyers and consumers at odds over control of appointments to the SRA
The Law Society found itself at loggerheads with the Legal Services Consumer Panel last week after the pair placed themselves on opposite sides of the debate over who should run the process of choosing the chairman and board of the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
The quality of quality marks: getting better but still a long way to go
The major quality marks used in the profession are becoming more credible, but many still have “a long way to go” before consumers can use them with confidence, a new assessment has concluded.
Consumer panel chief: it’s how the work is done, not who does it, that matters in new legal world
Lawyers need to find new ways to differentiate themselves in an era when their professional titles will start to lose meaning for consumers, according to the chair of the Legal Services Consumer Panel.
Gulf opens between profession and consumer groups over LSB lay chairs proposal
The Legal Services Board’s consultation on its plan to oblige frontline regulators to have lay chairs has met a barrage of opposition from regulators and lawyers, pitted against consumer advocates, which strongly backed the measure.
Probe into growth of ‘professional’ McKenzie Friends
The Legal Services Consumer Panel has begun an investigation into the emergence of ‘professional’ McKenzie Friends who charge litigants in person for their services, it has emerged.
LeO ‘cost per complaint’ too high, benchmarking survey finds
The Legal Ombudsman compares well with similar schemes on case resolution speeds, client satisfaction and perceptions of fairness, but many complainants reject its findings and its cost per complaint is high, according to a study.
Consumer panel throws weight behind compulsory lay chairs plan
The Legal Services Board’s consumer body has come out strongly in favour of making it compulsory that the chairs of the frontline regulators are not drawn from the profession, saying it would help counter conservatism in liberalising the legal market.
Blog
What high-performing consumer claims firms get right
Recurring concerns about parts of the volume claims sector show that the gap between well-run firms and those struggling to manage volume effectively is widening.
The SRA’s 2025 AML report: What law firms need to know
The SRA has released its 2024-25 anti-money laundering report and the scale of supervision is striking – it carried out 935 proactive engagements in the year to 5 April 2025.
The managing partner in 2026: skills, security and strategic technology
The legal sector stands at a pivotal moment. The pace of technological change is accelerating, cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated, and client expectations are higher than ever.
