QC mark and Law Society panels under scrutiny for help they give consumers
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.
Solicitors to pay £5m to close Legal Complaints Service
The Law Society has set aside £5 million to pay for the closure of the Legal Complaints Service (LCS), its 2009 annual report has revealed. The report also revealed that the society spent £600,000 in legal fees on its unsuccessful attempt under TUPE to force the new Office for Legal Complaints to take on LCS staff.
Lawyers need to adapt to survive loosening regulation
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.
Experience, not race, is key indicator of risk of regulatory action, says SRA report
Experience is a greater predictor of whether solicitors will face regulatory action, not race, an in-depth study has concluded. However, research commissioned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority said that in some situations SRA processes compounded the level of disproportionality currently experienced by BME solicitors.
SRA to offer LPC exemptions for first time
Plans to allow students to claim exemptions from the legal practice course (LPC) for the first time have been unveiled by the Solicitors Regulation Authority – although it will be for the LPC provider to decide whether to accept them.
Firms face obligation to reveal gender, ethnic and class background of staff
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.
Breaking news: law firms face closure as SRA unveils ARP crackdown
The Solicitors Regulation Authority today announced a major crackdown on law firms in the assigned risks pool, with firms unable to exit the pool at the end of their term or to pay their premiums likely to be closed down.
Exclusive: regulators begin recruitment hunt after resignations
Two of the legal profession’s regulators are to begin recruitment exercises following senior resignations, Legal Futures can reveal. Mandie Lavin is stepping down as director of the Bar Standards Board, while Nick Smedley has resigned from the board of ILEX Professional Standards.
Fire in the hole
This week’s Question of Ethics from the Solicitors Regulation Authority looks at what you should do if your document storage facility has been badly damaged by fire.
First-Tier Tribunal set to hear ABS appeals
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.
