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The Legal Services Board and Legal Services Consumer Panel have thrown their weight behind Friday’s Office of Fair Trading report that urged continuing simplification of the regulatory regime for lawyers, particularly around complaints.

The government is to try and overturn a House of Lords vote that the Legal Ombudsman’s (LeO) jurisdiction should extend to bailiffs – although the ombudsman himself has said he is open to the idea. Shortly before Christmas, peers voted 233 to 191 in favour of an amendment to the Crime and Courts Bill.

Alternative business structures will create “conveyancing factories” that exert a downward pressure on prices and could lead to an upsurge in complaints because of a focus on volume over service, the Legal Ombudsman has warned.

The Legal Ombudsman will not allow third parties to bring complaints against lawyers for the time being, Legal Futures has learned. However, it will in future accept complaints from prospective clients, while the limit for compensation will rise from £30,000 to £50,000

Our latest round-up of news you need to know includes the SRA launching an investigation into the conduct of solicitors after the Hillsborough disaster, the latest ABS licences, PC renewal details, and a bid to ensure high standards of complaints handling among conveyancers.