Consumer panel

Alternative business structures could be decisive in helping smaller charities access legal advice with fixed fees, according to research which shows many lack understanding of their legal needs and cannot afford solicitors.

The Law Society has recently revoked the membership of 200 members of its accreditation schemes, it has revealed. The society was responding to the surprise expressed last week that it had not appeared to expel anyone from any accreditation scheme over the past five years.

QCs should lose their title if they fall below an acceptable standard, the Legal Services Consumer Panel suggested today in a report that calls on legal bodies that run voluntary quality schemes to improve checks on lawyers’ continuing competence so as to boost consumer confidence.

From April 2012 the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) will “name and shame” law firms or lawyers against whom a “pattern of complaints” has been made, or whenever naming is judged to be in the public interest, it announced today.

The Legal Services Consumer Panel is standing by its recommendation to retain referral fees, saying it has seen no new evidence of consumer detriment to back a ban. Meanwhile, the Bar Council says its legal advice shows referral fees fall foul of the Bribery Act.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has launched a new strategy aimed at ensuring the interests of consumers “sit at the heart of the legal services marketplace”. It is also working on a project to determine whether the legal profession is meeting the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing.

Public access barristers will be able to compete more effectively with solicitors for legal aid clients under an urgent rule change being considered by the Bar Standards Board. However, both the speed of and the motivation for the move have been criticised by the Legal Services Consumer Panel.

The Legal Services Board today launched its first statutory investigation into whether to extend the scope of regulation, after its consumer panel recommended making will-writing a reserved activity. It goes further, however, by looking at what measures are required to protect consumers in the probate and estate administration markets as well,

The Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board have begun work on creating an online “virtual community” for consumers known as “Legally Speaking”. The news comes as we can reveal the Legal Services Consumer Panel has escaped the “bonfire of the quangos” – just as the panel’s chairwoman is stepping down.

The four years since the Legal Services Act have seen “positive changes” for consumers, but many problems persist, the first ever assessment of the reforms has concluded. The consumer impact report, published today by the Legal Services Consumer Panel, says consumers usually get the outcomes they want and most are happy with the service they receive – although it points out that they have little experience against which to judge this.

The great majority of consumers who have used legal services are satisfied with the outcome, although many do not feel they received good value for money, a survey has found. Worryingly for lawyers likely to face competition from trusted brands after October, however, it suggested significant public distrust of lawyers.

The role of price comparison and customer review websites are set to come under scrutiny from the Legal Services Board as part of efforts to help consumers judge the technical quality of the legal advice they receive. It will also consider whether a “badge” would distinguish regulated and non-regulated providers.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s application to become a licensing body for alternative business structures has been endorsed by the Legal Services Board’s consumer watchdog, but with reservations. The Legal Services Consumer Panel expressed disappointment that some recommendations it made during consultations were not adopted.

A groundbreaking assessment of the progress in delivering the legal services reforms from a consumer perspective is the centrepiece of the Legal Services Consumer Panel’s plan for the forthcoming year, delegates at today’s Legal Futures Conference will hear. The idea of a “single regulatory badge” will also be floated, along with good practice standards for legal comparison websites

The battle over whether the Legal Services Board, its consumer panel and the Legal Ombudsman can retain their own websites continues, with the sites not closing at the end of last month as the Ministry of Justice had originally instructed.