Consumer panel
LSB gives green light to work on radical shake-up of financial protection arrangements
The possibility of clients buying ‘top-up’ cover to fill the gaps in compulsory professional indemnity insurance has been floated by the Legal Services Board as it set the scene for a significant shake-up of current financial protection arrangements.
Solicitors and consumers split over widening ombudsman’s remit to unregulated providers
Solicitors and consumer representatives have come out on opposite sides of the Legal Ombudsman’s proposal to extend its remit to the estimated 130,000 unregulated legal services providers operating in England and Wales.
Legal Ombudsman to work on allowing complaints from non-clients
The Legal Ombudsman is to begin work on what types of complaints it should accept from non-clients amid reports of lawyers harassing third parties over alleged debts, violating their privacy and doling out abusive treatment in court.
Consumer panel attacks “staggering” Law Society regulation blueprint
The Law Society’s bid to regain powers from the Solicitors Regulation Authority is “quite staggering”, the chair of the Legal Services Consumer Panel has said – and it has stiffened her resolve to oppose any return to self-regulation.
Time for a single regulator and code of conduct? Consumer panel calls for the nuclear option
A single regulator for all legal services providers and a single code of conduct is the way forward for the market, the Legal Services Consumer Panel argued today. It essentially recommended tearing up the Legal Services Act 2007 and starting again.
Lawyers urged to adapt when advising clients with learning disabilities
Lawyers needs to improve their interpersonal skills, be patient, respectful and remove jargon to provide disabled clients with a better legal service, research has claimed. More also needs to be done to advertise legal services to people with learning disabilities.
Consumer panel questions Law Society reaction to single compensation fund proposal
The Legal Services Consumer Panel has questioned the Law Society’s strong reaction to its recommendation that the possibility of a single compensation fund across the legal profession be explored, including whether the society has actually read all of its work on the issue.
Law Society lays into consumer panel over single compensation fund
The Law Society has dismissed the Legal Services Consumer Panel’s call to consider a single compensation fund for all legal service providers. It claimed that the panel’s report “lacks the degree of rigour necessary for it to be considered seriously”.
Consumer confidence in lawyers falling, survey finds
Confidence in lawyers’ honesty and in their handling of complaints has fallen for the second year running, although people who have actually bought legal services remain happy with their own lawyer, a survey has found.
Consumers “still see lawyers as too expensive”, says research
Close to half of consumers of legal services are not satisfied with the value for money they received, with probate providing the least satisfaction and will writing the most, according to research. Just 57% considered they received value for money on average.
Blog
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It is well established that the UK has the highest proportion of inadequate housing in all of Europe. But what if the heart of the problem is even worse than we think?
The evolving standard: AI and professional negligence
AI creates an obvious professional negligence risk. Using it carelessly may fall below the standard of reasonable skill and care. As may failing to use it, in certain circumstances.
The ongoing rise and challenge of housing disrepair in council properties
Britain’s housing disrepair crisis has quietly evolved into one of the most consequential legal and political issues facing the country’s social housing sector.
