Informed choice to aid consumer decision making

31 August, 2018

The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has been given approval by the Legal Services Board (LSB) to amend its rules and require licensed firms to improve information they provide to better support consumer choice.

The changes aim to empower consumers to make better informed decisions about their choice of legal service provider. The new requirements also aim to foster innovation and competition in the legal services market.

Sheila Kumar, Chief Executive of the CLC says: “We are pleased that the LSB has approved our rule changes which come into force in December 2018. 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.

“Later in 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.”

The CLC seeks to encourage greater transparency for consumers on service standards and increase the opportunity for CLC practices to differentiate themselves from competitors and appeal to clients on other grounds.

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. It will be up to firms to decide how they wish to achieve this, but the CLC will publish guidance along with cost estimate templates, to ensure quotes are comprehensive and comparable.