Tag Results

The Cabinet Office has refused to confirm whether it is going ahead with shutting down the websites of the Legal Services Board, Legal Ombudsman and Legal Services Consumer Panel after a strong attack in the House of Lords last night that claimed it threatens the independence of the legal profession.

The Legal Services Board has for the first time granted an application to extend the reach of reserved legal activities, giving the Institute of Legal Executives the power to award the right to conduct litigation to associate prosecutors.

“Better the devil you know” is the phrase I keep hearing on the subject of whether the Law Society council will approve the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s application to become an alternative business structure licensing authority.

Frontline regulators are letting down consumers by failing to collect information on how lawyers are handling complaints, a review by the Legal Services Board has concluded. This would make it difficult for them “to identify systemic issues and adopt a targeted approach to regulation”.

The Legal Services Board is pressing ahead with plans to make the new regulatory chamber of the First-tier Tribunal the sole venue for appeals against decisions made over ABSs, despite strong objections from solicitors. It is a move that could damage hopes that the Law Society council will next month approve the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s application to become an ABS licensing authority.