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Legal regulators should learn lessons from others to make services more accessible for consumers, the Legal Services Board (LSB) has suggested.
In the report – Lowering barriers to accessing services: lessons from other sectors – the regulator said that outside the legal services market there have been significant resources and effort devoted to making services more accessible.
It pointed particularly to the financial services, healthcare and utilities arenas and suggested that there were ‘lessons to take’ from these sectors.
The LSB looked at three core areas, other than cost, that act as barriers to accessing legal services – inaccessible language and communications, lack of trust and a failure to cater for the needs of vulnerable consumers.
It called on regulators to develop simple, plain English guides that explain regulation to consumers, develop logos and other visual representations for providers to use to denote regulation, and to embed the importance of consumer vulnerability within their work.
LSB chief executive, Neil Buckley, said: ‘We know that a high proportion of consumers with a legal problem do not seek legal advice. Many of the barriers experienced are not unique to legal services.
‘We hope that approved regulators will have regard to the themes in this report and use lessons learned in other sectors in their own existing and planned initiatives.’
Legal regulators should learn lessons from others to make services more accessible for consumers, the Legal Services Board (LSB) has suggested.
In the report – Lowering barriers to accessing services: lessons from other sectors – the regulator said that outside the legal services market there have been significant resources and effort devoted to making services more accessible.
It pointed particularly to the financial services, healthcare and utilities arenas and suggested that there were ‘lessons to take’ from these sectors.
The LSB looked at three core areas, other than cost, that act as barriers to accessing legal services – inaccessible language and communications, lack of trust and a failure to cater for the needs of vulnerable consumers.
It called on regulators to develop simple, plain English guides that explain regulation to consumers, develop logos and other visual representations for providers to use to denote regulation, and to embed the importance of consumer vulnerability within their work.
LSB chief executive, Neil Buckley, said: ‘We know that a high proportion of consumers with a legal problem do not seek legal advice. Many of the barriers experienced are not unique to legal services.
‘We hope that approved regulators will have regard to the themes in this report and use lessons learned in other sectors in their own existing and planned initiatives.’
Far-ranging month for the Chair of the Bar
Endometriosis Awareness North, a charity raising awareness of endometriosis and supporting those affected across the North of England, has received a £500 boost from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the most recent data on alcohol misuse in the UK, and the implications for alcohol testing in family proceedings
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, explains how tailored financial planning can help barristers take control of their finances and plan with confidence
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
A £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs has been made to the leading UK charity tackling international parental child abduction and the movement of children across international borders
Seeing the full picture – Baljit Ubhey OBE outlines the CPS action plan to tackle violence against women and girls, offering insights directly relevant to courtroom practice
Heritage as an anchor and a compass, finding our common humanity and embracing the power of the outsider – Melina Antoniadis’s lessons learnt
Is the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office process fit for purpose? Women barristers’ experiences of bullying are not being reported or, if they are, they are not making it through the system, says Tana Adkin KC
Review by Daniel Barnett
Chair of the Bar reports back
