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Barristers and solicitors should provide the average costs of their services online and their regulators publish more accessible details of complaints and enforcement action, according to the Legal Services Consumer Panel.
The Panel said that legal services are ‘far behind other regulators’ and identified a ‘clear need for improved access to basic data’ provided in a transparent and ‘user-friendly’ manner.
It recommended that the frontline regulators – the Bar Standards Board and Solicitors’ Regulation Authority – carry out mystery shopping exercises to check the quality of service in ‘high risk’ areas.
Panel chair, Elisabeth Davies, said: ‘More needs to be done to empower consumers and encourage them to make informed decisions. Information, simply presented, at the time of need, is one tool that can be used by legal services regulators.’
Barristers and solicitors should provide the average costs of their services online and their regulators publish more accessible details of complaints and enforcement action, according to the Legal Services Consumer Panel.
The Panel said that legal services are ‘far behind other regulators’ and identified a ‘clear need for improved access to basic data’ provided in a transparent and ‘user-friendly’ manner.
It recommended that the frontline regulators – the Bar Standards Board and Solicitors’ Regulation Authority – carry out mystery shopping exercises to check the quality of service in ‘high risk’ areas.
Panel chair, Elisabeth Davies, said: ‘More needs to be done to empower consumers and encourage them to make informed decisions. Information, simply presented, at the time of need, is one tool that can be used by legal services regulators.’
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By David Green
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the forensic science underpinning hair drug testing, its evidential scope and limitations, and why it remains the gold standard for evidencing patterns of drug use in family proceedings
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
