SLCC welcomes CMA legal services market study final report

The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission welcomes the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)’s final report on the legal services market study for England and Wales.

SLCC Chief Executive, Neil Stevenson, said, “This report focusses on England and Wales, and we recognise there are differences in those markets.  However, as we said when the study was launched  we believe any findings could also have value for the legal sector in Scotland.  The key themes identified have potential benefits for all.  Price transparency and consumer information can help grow markets, creating a strong and sustainable legal sector in Scotland.  This in turn provides jobs, supports businesses and citizens, and contributes to a just society.  Equally, the findings assist consumers in a market which can at times appear complex and confusing.

We also see the value of an independent review of a sector, with new and innovative thinking, and learning shared from other sectors, which can assist the bodies delivering regulation and consumer protection within a market.  There is a current Scottish Government commitment to a consultation to review legal regulation, and this may be one technique that could be used as part of this important work.

Some of the themes, such as publishing regulatory and other data to help consumers compare lawyers, have already featured in our 2016-2020 strategy and our paper on legislative change.  We were pleased to have been involved as a stakeholder in the study and are now looking forward to working with the CMA on helping Scottish consumers navigate the legal services sector and ensuring a thriving and sustainable legal services market.”