News EditorSolicitors Journal

CLC regulated firms will not face fees increase

CLC regulated firms will not face fees increase

The announcment comes following CLC's summer consultation 

The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has announced its regulated firms will not suffer any increase in application fees, licence fees and regulatory fee rates in the next year.

The announcement follows an open consultation conducted this summer, which asked firms to respond on five areas: turnover bandings, practice fee rates, compensation fund contribution rates, Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) levy and individual practice certificate cost.

All practices are required to pay the practice fee, OLC levy and compensation fund contribution as a condition of licence.

When consulted on the proposals, respondents were in favour of not making any additional changes to the application fees, licence fees and regulatory fee rates set in 2021. Changes to what practices pay will be due only to a change in the firm’s turnover, or if the number of cases from the firm upheld by the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) has changed.

In 2021, the CLC significantly changed the fees levied on practices. The changes were implemented to ensure transparency and fairness. The changes implemented were:

·       An increased number of turnover bandings from 4 to 9 to enable practices to benefit from lower fee rates as they grow.

·       Reduction of the practice fee rates and exclusion of the Legal Ombudsman charge from the practice fee, which has improved the transparency of fees as the funds are only used for CLC operating expenditure.

·       Implementation of a separate OLC levy to recover the cost of the Legal Ombudsman recharge. The CLC has no control over this charge, which is based on case numbers and costs provided by the Legal Ombudsman. The charge has increased significantly over the last five years, and separating it has increased transparency of costs and increased the focus on complaint handling.

CLC chief executive Sheila Kumar said: “We believe, as a proactive and engaged regulator, it is our job to ensure we fully understand the pressures our firms face and find ways to encourage them to continue to provide a quality, cost effective service to the public.

“We have cut Practice fee rates by more than half over the course of the last seven years, and Compensation Fund contributions have been cut by around half too.

“Against the background of inflation, this year’s freeze is a significant, real-terms cut in fees and fee rates. Keeping the financial burden of regulation to a proportionate level is a key element of the CLC’s commitment to supporting a thriving conveyancing and probate sector responsive to the needs of the client.”

The Legal Services Board approved the CLC practice fee application on 2 November 2022; the approval is available here.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement
Latest News

Legal job numbers increase but applications decline

Fri Sep 29 2023

BARBRI candidates outperform SRA average by 13%

Fri Sep 29 2023

Justice delayed as thousands of cases wait more than two years to be heard

Thu Sep 28 2023

Solicitors warned over immigration services

Thu Sep 28 2023

New report highlights the transformative effects of domestic abuse training on family lawyers

Wed Sep 27 2023

Asylum seekers stranded on Diego Garcia win challenge against return to Sri Lanka

Wed Sep 27 2023

UN and coalition of NGOs write to Unilever to voice deep concern regarding victims of violence at Unilever tea plantation

Tue Sep 26 2023

Live Facial Recognition: How to Stay Within the Law

Tue Sep 26 2023

Ethics Institute launches taskforce to examine legal services to oligarchs and kleptocrats

Mon Sep 25 2023
FeaturedThe Law Society intervention ensures liberal approach to dealing with concurrent problems on legal aid
The Law Society intervention ensures liberal approach to dealing with concurrent problems on legal aid
Jeanne Kelly elected President of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce
Jeanne Kelly elected President of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce
Families continue to be victims of a broken justice system
Families continue to be victims of a broken justice system
Call for compensation scheme extension to help more abuse survivors
Call for compensation scheme extension to help more abuse survivors
SJ Interview: Hannah Ambrose
SJ Interview: Hannah Ambrose
Whose human rights are more important, yours or mine?
Whose human rights are more important, yours or mine?