*/
Legal regulators should learn lessons from others to make services more accessible for consumers, the Legal Services Board (LSB) has suggested.
In the report – Lowering barriers to accessing services: lessons from other sectors – the regulator said that outside the legal services market there have been significant resources and effort devoted to making services more accessible.
It pointed particularly to the financial services, healthcare and utilities arenas and suggested that there were ‘lessons to take’ from these sectors.
The LSB looked at three core areas, other than cost, that act as barriers to accessing legal services – inaccessible language and communications, lack of trust and a failure to cater for the needs of vulnerable consumers.
It called on regulators to develop simple, plain English guides that explain regulation to consumers, develop logos and other visual representations for providers to use to denote regulation, and to embed the importance of consumer vulnerability within their work.
LSB chief executive, Neil Buckley, said: ‘We know that a high proportion of consumers with a legal problem do not seek legal advice. Many of the barriers experienced are not unique to legal services.
‘We hope that approved regulators will have regard to the themes in this report and use lessons learned in other sectors in their own existing and planned initiatives.’
Legal regulators should learn lessons from others to make services more accessible for consumers, the Legal Services Board (LSB) has suggested.
In the report – Lowering barriers to accessing services: lessons from other sectors – the regulator said that outside the legal services market there have been significant resources and effort devoted to making services more accessible.
It pointed particularly to the financial services, healthcare and utilities arenas and suggested that there were ‘lessons to take’ from these sectors.
The LSB looked at three core areas, other than cost, that act as barriers to accessing legal services – inaccessible language and communications, lack of trust and a failure to cater for the needs of vulnerable consumers.
It called on regulators to develop simple, plain English guides that explain regulation to consumers, develop logos and other visual representations for providers to use to denote regulation, and to embed the importance of consumer vulnerability within their work.
LSB chief executive, Neil Buckley, said: ‘We know that a high proportion of consumers with a legal problem do not seek legal advice. Many of the barriers experienced are not unique to legal services.
‘We hope that approved regulators will have regard to the themes in this report and use lessons learned in other sectors in their own existing and planned initiatives.’
Chair of the Bar sets out a busy calendar for the rest of the year
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Examined by Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
Time is precious for barristers. Every moment spent chasing paperwork, organising diaries, or managing admin is time taken away from what matters most: preparation, advocacy and your clients. That’s where Eden Assistants step in
AlphaBiolabs has announced its latest Giving Back donation to RAY Ceredigion, a grassroots West Wales charity that provides play, learning and community opportunities for families across Ceredigion County
Rachel Davenport, Co-founder and Director at AlphaBiolabs, outlines why barristers, solicitors, judges, social workers and local authorities across the UK trust AlphaBiolabs for court-admissible testing
Through small but meaningful efforts, we can restore the sense of collegiality that has been so sorely eroded, says Baldip Singh
Come in with your eyes open, but don’t let fear cloud the prospect. A view from practice by John Dove
Looking to develop a specialist practice? Mariya Peykova discusses the benefits of secondments and her placement at the Information Commissioner’s Office
Anon Academic explains why he’s leaving the world of English literature for the Bar – after all, the two are not as far apart as they may first seem...
Review by Stephen Cragg KC
