Legal services sector central to success of 'levelling up' says Law Society

The Law Society has warned the government will struggle to achieve its ‘levelling up’ agenda without a properly funded justice system. It said the legal services sector plays a vital role in supporting the UK’s private sector by providing essential legal advice to a wide variety of businesses on a daily basis.

“Legal services are the hidden wiring that makes local economies tick, and the key to unlocking the potential of businesses in all parts of the country,” said the Law Society’s president, I. Stephanie Boyce (pictured).

“As a sector that employs 1% of the UK workforce, contributes £60 billion to the economy and provides services on which business in all sectors rely, legal services have an integral role in making levelling up a success”.

Boyce said that legal services provide “good quality, professional jobs to local areas” which allow people to build rewarding careers in the places they grew up.

She added: “A successful levelling up strategy should seek to leverage the power of the legal services sector to drive growth by investing in the infrastructure our sector relies on – most notably the courts.

“Courts not only provide a space for legal resolution, they also act as hubs of legal activity, drawing law firms to the area, bringing with them jobs and investment”.

Boyce said she was pleased the government is supporting improved broadband, as this is “essential” to services such as online court processes and remote hearings and modern dispute resolution.

“The government can also unlock the potential of small and medium sized firms that form the bedrock of local economies by funding a grant scheme for the adoption of productivity-boosting LawTech”, added Boyce.

“Legal services provide vital assistance to ordinary people facing troublesome issues across the country, yet large swathes of the country do not have a single housing legal aid provider”.

Boyce concluded: “Essential funding for the sector can help legal services play an even larger role in levelling up.”