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Legal reforms have gone too far

Liverpool based law firm Maxwell Hodge is warning that the current reforms may have gone too far, resulting in confusion for the public who are struggling to access expert legal advice.

Claire Banks, partner and lawyer at Maxwell Hodge said: “Following the government upheaval of the legal sector, with the Legal Services Act, we now have many more “non” legal firms practising law. The legal profession has never been scared of competition we welcome it, however, it is vital that we maintain standards and protect the public from inadequate legal advice.”

The Legal Services Act came into force in 2011. Dubbed Tesco law, it opened up the legal profession so that non law firms could offer legal advice and services. The aim was to give the consumer more options and easier access to justice. However the Act has led to a series of issues with unduly complicated regulations and costs, and according to critics, a “dumbing down” of the legal profession, leading to the public struggling to access expert advice in certain areas.

Claire said: “The Legal Services Act was “sold” as a means of protecting the consumer and enabling access to justice. Its intention was to open up the market to other non legal businesses. This having been achieved, it has put at risk the independence, and quality, of legal advice due to the conflicting interests of some of the commercial owners involved.”

Claire added: “The Act has also led to commercial organisations concentrating on certain areas of law which they perceive as requiring less expertise, resulting in a risk that advice given is dangerously inadequate due to the lack of knowledge and experience of those supplying it.”

The UK Legal Services Board has called for a single independent regulator to cover the entire profession, to help tackle issues in the system. According to Claire this reform would be welcome if it offers protection for the consumer.

She said: “I think an independent regulator could give the public assurances about the quality of legal advice they are getting and might be a move in the right direction. But I am concerned that we seem to be going round in circles with the constant changes and new regulations being put in place. The system is already suffering from excessive regulation, so any further changes we make need to have the desired end result, to protect the public and give them easier access to legal services.”

Maxwell Hodge is one of the region’s leading law firms, with eight offices across Merseyside including a city centre office in the heart of Liverpool’s business district. Contact them on 0800 6946 660 or e-mail info@maxweb.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Dan Minchin .