Consumer panel
Accountants told to respect spirit of legal services reforms if they want to regulate probate
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales needs to abide by the spirit of the legal services reforms if it is to regulate probate work, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has urged.
Sub-standard legal advice and comparison websites in spotlight after Davies reappointment
Elisabeth Davies was yesterday reappointed as chair of the Legal Services Consumer Panel. The decision to keep Ms Davies in the role will keep the panel’s wide-ranging workplan on track.
Regulators “failing consumers” by not cracking down on bad pricing practices
Frontline legal regulators have failed to involve consumers when designing their policies and must in future target resources on improving “bad pricing practices”, according to the Legal Services Consumer Panel.
Consumer panel: lift ban on law centres and other not-for-profit advisers charging for work
The ban on law centres and other not-for-profit organisations charging for advice should be lifted as part of plans to bring them into the alternative business structure regime, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has said.
LSB calls on profession to engage with comparison websites and “will consider” accrediting them
The Legal Services Board has urged regulators and professional bodies to engage with comparison websites for the benefit of consumers, including providing access to their registers, Legal Futures can reveal.
Consumer panel calls for five-fold increase in LeO’s compensation limit to £150,000
The current limit of compensation that the Legal Ombudsman can award complainants should increase five-fold to £150,000, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has recommended. It also called for abolition of the two ‘free’ complaints every firm/lawyer is allowed each year without incurring a case fee.
Give non-clients the right to complain about lawyers, says consumer panel
Non-clients should have a general right to complain about lawyers – such as parties affected by delays in the conveyancing process and beneficiaries of a defective will – the Legal Services Consumer Panel said today.
Consumers start to exert buying power over lawyers, says survey
There are signs that consumer power is starting to take a grip in the legal services market as more people shop around and demand fixed-fee deals, the Legal Services Consumer Panel reports today. However, the YouGov survey shows that the wider economic picture is affecting the use of legal services.
Panel to celebrate firms and chambers which sign up to vulnerable consumer standard
Law firms, chambers, regulators and other legal bodies which sign up to the official British Standard on dealing with vulnerable consumers are to have their commitment celebrated publicly on the website of the Legal Services Consumer Panel.
Goodbye solicitors, hello ‘regulated legal advisors’: consumer panel seeks radical training reform
Lawyers’ legal education and training should be aimed at the specific activities they will be authorised to practise rather than at achieving a particular title, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has urged.
Blog
Five key issues to consider when adopting an AI-based legal tech
As generative AI starts to play a bigger role in our working lives, there are some key issues that your law firm needs to consider when adopting an AI-based legal tech.
Bulk litigation – not always working in consumers interests
For consumers to get the benefit, bulk litigation needs to be done well, and we are increasingly concerned that there are significant problems in some areas of this market.
ABSs, cost and audits – fixing regulation after Axiom Ince
A feature of law firm collapses and frauds has sometimes been the over-concentration of power in outdated and overburdened systems of control.
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