SLCC welcomes English legal services review

Scotland's legal complaints body has welcomed the announcement of a review of legal services in England & Wales, which it believes will have an impact north of the border.

Yesterday the Competition & Markets Authority launched a 12 month market study into the working of the legal services sector in England & Wales, particularly as it affects individuals and small businesses (click here for report). Despite the liberalisation of the market there, concerns remain about the affordability of legal services and standards of service, as well as the complexity of the current regulatory framework.

The CMA plans to use the outcome to inform any future consideration of similar issues in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Commenting on the launch, Neil Stevenson, chief executive of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission, said that the key points in the review were themes covered in the new strategy for the SLCC, which will be going out to public consultation at the end of January. 

“We’ll be closely monitoring the review," Mr Stevenson said, "and would hope to engage our consumer panel and other bodies in the legal market in Scotland in discussion as to what we may be able to learn from the process and findings as soon as information is available. We want to ensure we lead the debate on what we might learn to improve the functioning the Scottish market, and on what might be less relevant because of the difference between the countries.”

He continued: “We’ve been looking at the information available to consumers, as in so many complaints differences in expectations are an issue. Most law firms now have websites, but in contrast to many other sectors you don’t have regulation about what information must be provided to help consumers make a purchasing decision. The CMA’s review shows the need for a broader discussion about how regulation informs buying decisions and protects consumers, and remains light touch enough that there is economic sustainability for the sector – necessary for lawyers and consumers.

“Our new strategy also suggests the need to consider streamlining regulation and complaints handling, even if that affects our own role, as lawyers need freed up where possible to spend as much time as they can working for their clients – something we know that lawyers want to be able to.”