Legal Services Board starts work

The new regulatory regime for the legal profession in England and Wales – brought in under the Legal Services Act – came into force at the start of the year.

For the first time, a single body in the shape of the Legal Services Board will oversee the entire legal services sector. There are currently 16,455 barristers, 112,246 solicitors and 12,200 individuals authorised to operate in certain aspects of the legal profession (such as legal executives and licensed conveyancers).

The LSB said its remit was to reform and modernise the legal services market place by putting consumers at the heart of the system. This would include areas such as accessibility of services, entry routes and planning for the diverse legal workforce of the future.

In carrying out its work, the board will oversee the eight ‘approved regulators’, which include the Law Society, the Bar Council and the Institute of Legal Executives.

David Edmonds, chairman of the LSB, said: “The reforms to be brought about by the new regulatory framework have the potential to change the relationship between lawyers and the public. Our goal is to enhance the interests of consumers through effective competition and more innovative ways of delivering legal services.”

To mark its launch, the board commissioned research into how informed the public feels about their options when they need legal services. This found that less than a third of 2,033 respondents felt they knew “a fair amount” of what it is lawyers do. Only 14% said they had shopped around for the right lawyer.

Satisfaction levels were high, however, with three-quarters saying they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the legal advice they had received.