Legal Services Board
Not-for-profit providers “should be able to charge” for legal advice
Law centres and other not-for-profit organisations should be allowed to charge for advice to help counter the impact of legal aid cuts and reduced local authority funding, the Legal Services Board said today.
Legal Services Consumer Panel survives the chop – for now
The Legal Services Consumer Panel has escaped the government’s consolidation of consumer advocacy and information into Citizens Advice – for now. The move was strongly opposed by the Legal Services Board but supported by the Law Society.
LSB defends the use of “forceful facilitation” against “misguided” criticism of its work…
The Legal Services Board has hit back at the “misguided” criticism of its role, saying that experience has proven the need for its “forceful facilitation”. Its response to the Ministry of Justice’s triennial review comes after severe criticism from some of those it oversees.
… as Law Society calls on government to slash the LSB’s budget to stop it overstepping the mark
The Legal Services Board should have its budget slashed so as to rein in its ambitions to move beyond a supervisory role, the Law Society has claimed. However, the SRA, CILEx and Council for Licensed Conveyancers have been more measured in their criticism.
Licensed conveyancers refused right to conduct litigation and advocacy – for now
The Legal Services Board yesterday rejected a bid to allow licensed conveyancers to conduct litigation and advocacy, after more than a year of consideration. It had run into fierce opposition from the Lord Chief Justice and the Law Society.
Set the date to scrap the LSB, Bar regulator tells government
The “end is in sight” for the Legal Services Board (LSB) and it can be abolished in about three years’ time, the Bar’s regulator has told the government. The Bar Council stopped short of this, but said the LSB should be reined in.
Cost of legal services continues to rise – as does number of people going it alone without lawyers
The continued rise in the cost of legal services at a time when consumer wealth has fallen could be putting people off seeking legal advice, new research has suggested. The Legal Services Board report also found indications of falling quality.
Edmonds: failure to comply with staff diversity rules will tell its own story
Lack of compliance by law firms and chambers with the new requirements to publish information about the diversity of their staff “will in itself tell a story”, the chairman of the Legal Services Board has claimed.
"Significant" number of chambers to avoid diversity data publication – but what about law firms?
Chambers with fewer than 10 staff and/or members should not have to publish the results of the diversity survey that they all have to complete this year, their regulator is to tell the Legal Services Board.
QASA finally agreed after Bar Standards Board gives in over plea-only advocates
The Bar Standards Board has given way on the final outstanding issue on the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates and it is now to begin in the summer. Plea-only advocates, who had been at the centre of a major disagreement, will not have to undergo judicial assessment.
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.
