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I suspect there is no coincidence that the Legal Ombudsman’s website is publicising its first annual report under the banner headline “Regulatory maze”. Those of you with long-ish memories may recall that this was the phrase used in 2003 by the then Department for Constitutional Affairs in the scoping study that paved the way for the Clementi reforms. Sir David himself adopted it to describe the confused regulatory infrastructure which his reforms were supposedly going to untangle.

Yesterday’s report on will-writing by the Legal Services Consumer Panel was more proof, if any were needed, that the Legal Services Act 2007 is anything but a deregulatory measure. Even the deregulation of business structures is hedged by a raft of new regulation. There are several points worth picking out of the report. First, it emphasises once more how critical reserved legal activities are to the future shape of the legal market.

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,

In-Deed, the new online conveyancing service from Rightmove founder Harry Hill, is eyeing up expansion into the will-writing and personal injury market. The company listed on AIM today with a market capitalisation of £8.6m.

Not many people get as excited by reserved legal activities as I do, but Professor Stephen Mayson surpasses even my interest in the subject. And he’s always quite happy for me to describe him as a reservation nerd, so I shall do so again.