Westminster legal policy forum seminar: the legal services market

Guests of honour: Sir Michael Pitt, Chairman, Legal Services Board and Rachel Merelie, Senior Director, Competition and Markets Authority

Bringing together key policymakers and stakeholders, this seminar will focus on the future development of legal services regulation in England and Wales. 

It is scheduled to follow government’s forthcoming consultation on options for removing barriers to entry for alternative business structures (ABS) and for making legal service regulators independent from their representative bodies. It will also provide an early opportunity to discuss priorities for government’s wider review of the Legal Services Act 2007, which is anticipated to take place later in this parliament. 

A further context for the discussion will be the competition and markets authority’s recently launched market study into legal services, which is expected to publish interim findings this summer, focusing on the regulatory framework’s impact on legal services competition.

Delegates will have the opportunity to consider policy options for boosting competition and innovation across key legal markets (including conveyancing, probate and litigation); next steps for developing the uptake of ABS and multi-disciplinary practice business models; as well as possible opportunities for streamlining regulatory costs for practitioners, whilst also ensuring standards and affordability for consumers. 

This seminar is bringing together key policymakers and regulators with professional bodies and practitioners from across the legal services market, alongside industry commentators, academics, advisors, consultancies and consumer groups.

We are delighted that Robert Bourns, President 2016-17, The Law Society; Rachel Merelie, Senior Director, Competition and Markets Authority; Paul Philip, Chief Executive, Solicitors Regulation Authority; Sir Michael Pitt, Chairman, Legal Services Board and Kathryn Stone, Chief Ombudsman, Legal Ombudsman have agreed to deliver keynote addresses at this seminar.

Quentin Baker, Director of Law, Procurement & Governance, LGSS Law; Elisabeth Davies, Chair, Legal Services Consumer Panel; Dr Christopher Decker, Research Fellow, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, University of Oxford; Erin Hallock, Investor, Business Growth Fund and Archana Makol, Chief Counsel, BT Legal and Director, BT Law have also agreed to speak.

Rt Hon the Lord Falconer of Thoroton and Jonathan Djanogly MP, former Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Ministry of Justice has kindly agreed to chair a session at this seminar.

To book your place, please visit the Westminster Legal Policy Forum website.