A new report for the Legal Ombudsman has called for a review of the right of redress for consumers complaining of poor legal service following concerns that the arrival of alternative business structures into the legal services sector will increase confusion.
The proposed ban on referral fees is unlikely to bring about the positive changes promised by the government – it will just create hard work for regulators, argues Susanna Heley
Universities this year saw a record drop of 5.2 per cent in applications to study law. Fees have risen at a time when interest in participating in apprenticeships has also increased – according to a recent report by the Office of National Statistics, 16.6 per cent more people took up apprenticeships in 2009/10 than in the previous year. Meanwhile in the legal market the advent of ABSs serves both to highlight the diversity of legal services offered and to change the models by which these are delivered. In doing so, will there still be a place for the law degree, or will the market be better served by on-the-job training?
Both consumers and the profession are better off now that the Legal Ombudsman has begun to crack down on those who fail to cooperate with its requests, say Martin Varley and Steve Brooker
