Legal Services Board
Streamlined and quicker ABS licensing process on the way
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is set to “streamline” the alternative business structure (ABS) application process, its chief executive has revealed after its approach and the time it takes were criticised at a high-profile event yesterday.
LSB: current financial protection regime risks giving clients "false confidence"
Compensation arrangements for consumers involved in legal transactions that go wrong are outdated and need to be improved, the Legal Services Board has said in calling on its consumer panel to undertake research and provide advice on the issue.
SRA independence still a concern as LSB keeps Law Society on report but eases demands
The Legal Services Board yesterday expressed continuing concerns about the independence of the Solicitors Regulation Authority from the Law Society. This has led the LSB to issue a new statutory notice requiring the society to provide it with information.
Accountants attack bid to pull them into regulatory net for will-writing and estate work
Accountants should be excluded from Legal Services Board plans to reserve will-writing and estate administration, their professional body has argued. Meanwhile, it is not yet clear whether the SRA will be allowed to regulate will-writers.
LSB: regulating will-writing and estate work will grow market and benefit solicitors
The reservation of will-writing and estate administration should boost the amount of work and allow existing providers such as solicitors to become more competitive, the Legal Services Board said today as it laid out how the regime will work.
LSB’s “open debate” on cost of regulation throws spotlight on practising fee split
The possibility of the Law Society and other representative bodies being cut off from any of the money raised by practising fees has been raised by a Legal Services Board call for an “open debate on the cost of regulation”.
Regulators told to release law firm quality indicators and co-operate with comparison websites
Regulators of the legal profession will have to gather and publish evidence of where lawyers are falling down on quality – including information on disciplinary action – following a wide-ranging review by the Legal Services Board.
LSB releases plan to monitor impact of ABSs on access to justice
The Legal Services Board yesterday laid out how it will monitor the impact of alternative business structures and other reforms on access to justice. The attempt to “baseline” access to justice and to evaluate change over time proposes 18 measures.
ABSs and phone-hacking highlight need for regulators to focus on ethics, says LSB report
The introduction of alternative business structures – along with scandals in other sectors – means regulators need to monitor ethics across the legal profession more closely, new research has argued.
LSB warns regulators over referral fee ban as government unveils CMC crackdown
The Legal Services Board has warned regulators not to go further than the legislative requirements for the impending ban on referral fees in personal injury, calling for “a liberal approach” that does not prevent alternative business structures effectively circumventing it.
Blog
Listening, learning and leading The Solicitor’s Charity with care
As I prepare to hand over the mantle of chair of The Solicitor’s Charity next month, it doesn’t feel like an end. Instead, it feels like a wonderful journey.
Is competition in the legal sector stifling innovation?
As the legal sector’s competitive landscape continues to evolve, Nobel laureates remind us that innovation is not inevitable,and that competition may not always be an incentive to innovate.
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.
