Legal services study launched by CMA

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will examine long-standing concerns about the affordability of legal services and standards of service as a new study is launched.

Senior Director, Rachel Merelie said:

“We would be concerned if customers are not getting a good deal, either because they do not know what to expect when purchasing a legal service, or because they are not seeking appropriate legal support in the first place.”

 

Responding to the CMA’s announcement Neil Buckley, Chief Executive of the Legal Services Board said:

 

“I welcome the CMA’s announcement today of its intention to commence a market study into the legal services sector in England and Wales to see if it is working well for consumers and small businesses. 

This decision reflects long-standing concerns about both the affordability and quality of legal services on offer. 

A major problem in legal services is that a large proportion of the population and small businesses cannot afford such critical services. 

The functioning of the legal services market has without doubt improved since the introduction of the Legal Services Act but it still has a long way to go before it can be said that it is an effective market. 

This study offers a clear opportunity to assess where the legal services market stands today.  It offers an opening to understand better what should be done to unlock growth, increase productivity and address the significant unmet need that exits in this particularly important segment of the UK’s economy.  

The LSB will engage with the CMA in the course of its study.”

 

The Society of Will Writers and Estate Planning Practitioners are in full support of the legal services study and are taking active steps to aid consumer understanding in relation to Will Writing and Estate Planning. We have begun doing so through the launch of our safe to do business with logo in October 2015, through the launch of our 10 membership principles and the via the existing Code of Practice.