Accountants bid to regulate reserved legal services One of the three organisations for chartered accountants in England and Wales is pitching to be approved as a regulator of reserved legal services, it emerged yesterday. The Institute of Chartered Accountants has applied to the Legal Services Board to become an approved regulator and licensing authority for […]
Row over insurance cover in liberalised regulation regime Law firms could be left in an insurance gap and clients out of pocket in cases of negligence if plans to drop barriers to lawyers switching regulators are given the green light, the solicitors’ trade union said on Friday. In yet another round of sniping in the […]
Recent research from the Solicitors Regulation Authority showed that less than half of those surveyed anticipated that they could afford to instruct a lawyer. “It is the biggest problem facing the legal profession,” said Paul Philip (pictured), the authority’s chief executive, who did not shy from taking some responsibility. “In part, this is a failure […]
Bar Regulator looking for New Law business The barristers’ regulator is looking for a guinea pig to test its ability to oversee new models of legal practice, it emerged yesterday. The Bar Standards Board announced that it was looking for existing alternative business structures – business employing lawyers but that do not conform to the […]
Society President Jonathan Smithers said: “It’s no surprise to us that concern over the idea of selling off the Land Registry is growing – we’re talking about a vital piece of the national infrastructure, “Whatever the political and ideological debates around privatisation, the Land Registry is not a commercial operation which can be easily privatised. […]
Chief executive Catherine Dixon said: “The SRA proposals will enable solicitors to work for unregulated entities providing unreserved legal activities to the public. This has serious implications for client protection, legal professional privilege, professional supervision, competition and the standing of the solicitor profession. “The proposals could result in two tiers of solicitors – those working in […]
Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) produces interim report of the legal services market. https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/legal-services-market-study “It is therefore possible that an alternative regulatory model may improve competition if it is successful in reducing the emphasis on regulatory titles.” The CMA also came out in favour of the legal regulators having “full independence” from the providers they […]
Oliver Hanmer is director of supervision at the Bar Standards Board. He says in The Times that the BSB, the regulator, wants them to think carefully about learning and professional development needs. It wants to give them flexibility to undertake the right CPD for them; it is recognised that one size does not fit all, and that […]
Law Society chief executive Catherine Dixon said: ‘We agree with the LSB that broadly speaking the legal regulatory system is working effectively. The system is relatively new and changes are still being embedded. ‘We do have a vision for the future of legal services regulation and if there were to be a whole-scale and thoughtful […]
Regulator to scrap continuing education for barristers Barristers will no longer have to complete a mandatory continuing professional education, if proposals from the profession’s regulator go ahead, it was announced yesterday. The Bar Standards Board launched a consultation process that would see barristers fall in line with recent reforms to the solicitors’ professional development regime. […]