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The Legal Services Board has approved the Bar Standards Board’s application to license alternative business structures (ABS).
The decision came 11 months after the application was submitted. The BSB intends to begin its ABS application process from October 2016, but that cannot happen until the designation has been approved by the Lord Chancellor and the necessary legislation put in place.
BSB-licensed ABSs will allow lawyers and non-lawyers jointly to own and manage businesses that provide reserved legal activities.
The BSB intends to license advocacy-focused ABSs whose activities are broadly similar to those of self-employed barristers.
Welcoming the announcement, BSB director of supervision, Oliver Hanmer, said: ‘It is testament to our desire to encourage innovation and competition and to improve access to justice within the legal services market.’
The Legal Services Board has approved the Bar Standards Board’s application to license alternative business structures (ABS).
The decision came 11 months after the application was submitted. The BSB intends to begin its ABS application process from October 2016, but that cannot happen until the designation has been approved by the Lord Chancellor and the necessary legislation put in place.
BSB-licensed ABSs will allow lawyers and non-lawyers jointly to own and manage businesses that provide reserved legal activities.
The BSB intends to license advocacy-focused ABSs whose activities are broadly similar to those of self-employed barristers.
Welcoming the announcement, BSB director of supervision, Oliver Hanmer, said: ‘It is testament to our desire to encourage innovation and competition and to improve access to justice within the legal services market.’
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By David Green
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Unlocking your aged debt to fund your tax in one easy step. By Philip N Bristow
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, discusses the upcoming changes to pensions and Inheritance Tax and the potential impact on your financial future
Save the Children UK is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
The Chief Legal Officer to the Metropolitan Police, barrister Brett Welch, tells Anthony Inglese CB about his mission and the work to turn the Met around
Barrister apprenticeships – shortly to provide the fourth pathway to the Bar – are an ideal opportunity to support local talent and ‘grow your own’, say Tim Coulson and Dr Jane Dennehy
Born from a grievance, their research project grew into a book and is now challenging the status quo. Emma Price and Emma-Louise Fenelon reveal the key findings – and the critical next steps
Grok around and find out – or not? Mariya Peykova investigates the nudification scandal, what the law has to say about sexually explicit deepfakes, and whether stronger regulation is needed
Oliver Lewis spotlights an overlooked yet rapidly evolving area of law – coercive and controlling behaviour within care contexts
