Policy
1 November, 2007
Legal Services Act receives royal assent
An independent body to handle consumer complaints about legal services
An independent body, the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC), which will handle consumer complaints about legal services in England and Wales is now a step closer to becoming reality. It was introduced under the Legal Services Act, which received royal assent this week.
The other new measures of the Act are:
- Alternative Business Structures (ABS) that will enable consumers to obtain services from one business entity that brings together lawyers and non-lawyers, increasing competitiveness and improving services. It will also allow legal services firms to have up to 25 per non-lawyer partners in the future, before the full ABS regulatory structure is implemented, and will allow different kinds of lawyers to form firms together in the future.
- A new Legal Services Board (LSB) to act as a single, independent and publicly accountable regulator with the power to enforce high standards in the legal sector. The chair of the Board will be a lay person.
- A clear set of regulatory objectives for the regulation of legal services which all parts of the system will need to work together to deliver, including promoting and maintaining adherence to professional principles.
Commenting on the Act, Legal Services Minister, Bridget Prentice was 'extremely pleased' to see the reforms becoming law and said that -
'The Act will mean consumers get legal services that are fit for purpose, increasing confidence in the system as a whole.
These reforms are all bout fairness to consumers, who will benefit, for example, from the new and independent OLC handling complaints about legal service providers and ensuring a quick and fair response.
The Legal Services Board will replace the existing regulatory maze to oversee approved regulators. These regulators will also be required to separate their regulation side from their representation one to remove conflict of interest.'
For more information, see the Ministry of Justice press release Legal Services Act given royal assent.
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