The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has been given approval by the Legal Services Board to amend its rules and require licensed firms to improve information about costs and whether they pay referral fees to agents.
The changes aim to empower consumers to make better informed decisions about their choice of legal service provider.
Sheila Kumar, chief executive of the CLC, said: “We are pleased that the LSB has approved our rule changes which come into force in December.
“We can now move ahead with the changes to make sure consumers will have access to additional and clearer information to help them make an informed choice when deciding which lawyer to use.
“From September we will be providing support to our licensed community to implement the changes and we will encourage firms to look to our guidance on implementation.”
CLC practices will also be required to make cost information, including whether they have referral arrangements, readily accessible on their website and in alternative formats on request.
The CLC will publish guidance along with cost estimate templates to ensure quotes are comprehensive and comparable.
Crikey – if estate agents were regulated, do you think that they would have to put their prices on their websites.
And what about panel managers – they fly under the radar and this is where the major consumer abuse REALLY happens … Oh I forgot, despite the invaluable contribution they make to the buying and selling process, they aren’t regulated.
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