LSB welcomes latest developments in legal services provision

The Chairman of the Legal Services Board, David Edmonds, today welcomed the first licences to be issued by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for new forms of legal practice in England and Wales. He said:

“My Board is delighted that after four years of hard work we see a major innovation in the way legal services are delivered to consumers. This is the next and important stage in developing a legal services market that works well for consumers, for practitioners and for society at large. Allowing providers the scope to innovate, to secure funding from new providers, to be led and managed in more effective ways and involving different disciplines, will help to bring many more affordable services on line and on the High Street.

Regulation has an important part to play in this . Breaking down barriers to entry and freeing the ways in which firm can operate is key. But the change and innovation has to be provider-led. We will be working to make sure that regulation does not create inappropriate barriers and targets risk. Supervision must be proportionate. “