Legal Services Act

Clients should be given the information they need to identify firms with poor compliance histories so that they “can punish them by voting with their feet”, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has said. It also called on the Solicitors Regulation Authority to introduce a leniency programme for solicitors who blow the whistle on misconduct in which they are involved with others.

The government is to consult on Lord Justice Jackson’s blueprint for reform of conditional fee agreements (CFAs), as well as introducing contingency fees, “as a matter of priority”, justice minister Jonathan Djanogly announced today.

The Legal Services Board is on a collision course with the Law Society and Bar Council after demanding that both introduce lay majorities on the boards of their regulatory arms sooner than planned, Legal Futures can reveal.

The future of referral fees could become clearer next week after Legal Futures learned that the Coalition government is to issue a statement on Monday outlining what it intends to do with the Jackson report.

Private equity investors are interested in either the top City firms or niche practices, according to the solicitor who this week set up a law firm with private equity loans which could be turned into equity stakes when allowed.

The role of the QC mark and various accreditation schemes, including Law Society panels, in helping the public identify quality legal services is to be tested, it has emerged, with the Legal Services Consumer Panel expressing scepticism over their value to consumers.

Why do people become lawyers? In my case, as I suspect for many others, it was largely because my parents thought it a good idea. Some may have watched too much LA Law or read too much Rumpole. Quite a few lawyers I know couldn’t think of anything better to do.

The Legal Services Board wants law firms to go public with the gender and ethnic make-up of their staff – as well as possibly their social background – as a way of encouraging them to build a diverse workforce, it has emerged.

The general regulatory chamber of the First-Tier Tribunal is set to hear appeals against decisions made over alternative business structures, it has emerged. The Legal Services Board believes appeals would be better with a single body than multiple bodies.

The Legal Services Board has set out its plans to recoup its running costs, and those of the Office for Legal Complaints, based on a per capita basis and of complaints against each part of the legal profession.

The Association of Law Costs Draftsmen has created a regulatory subsidiary and unveiled plans to streamline its membership as it shapes up as the smallest of the approved regulators.

More than a third of barristers are likely to join a new business structure in the next five years, research has shown, and this number is likely to increase as understanding of the opportunities under the Legal Services Act improves.

I thought I would post an update on what I have heard about the Coalition’s thinking about the legal services reforms – there’s nothing concrete, because ministers are still not talking about this subject publicly. This comes just from being round and about and talking to those who are (or at least claim to be) in the know, so I can’t vouch for its total accuracy.

So farewell (almost), Zahida Manzoor. Her final annual report after more than seven years as Legal Services Ombudsman is understandably reflective ahead of the post’s abolition on 6 October when the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC)/Legal Ombudsman (no, we’re not sure which to call it either) opens for business. Ms Manzoor deserves a chance to bask in the glow of her achievements.

The performance of the Legal Complaints Service (LCS) will provide a solid foundation from which the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) can build, the Legal Services Ombudsman said today.