As part of our work to improve market transparency for consumers, we are looking at improving transparency of quality. It is important that consumers have access to information on quality as well as price, so that they have the best tools to shop around and exercise effective choice.
In December 2020, the CMA’s review of its 2016 market study of legal services found a mixed picture on the evidence of improved consumer engagement since 2016. The CMA noted that more needed to be done, particularly on transparency of quality, and asked the LSB to take the lead in coordinating action in this area.
Empowering consumers: statement of policy
On 11 April 2022, we issued a statement of policy on empowering consumers . The statement sets clear expectations of how the regulatory bodies we oversee should contribute to empowering consumers to choose legal services providers best suited to their needs and to improve market transparency in the sector.
Discussion paper and research
In January 2021, we published a discussion paper on how to improve transparency of quality in the legal services market. In this paper, we set out our provisional thinking in this area, offering evidence and analysis on what information about quality consumers would find helpful, how best to get this information to them, and potential policy interventions to support effective consumer choice. In July 2021, we published our response here.
Alongside this discussion paper, we published research with the LSB’s public panel. We commissioned this research to understand what consumers look for in terms of quality, the information they currently use to gauge quality, and how they would respond to potential initiatives to improve access to information on quality.
The research can be found here:
We are also working closely with the SRA, CLC and CILEx Regulation as they undertake a pilot scheme around quality indicators. We are encouraged by their work in this area and expect any findings and actions following the scheme to support the implementation of the LSB’s statement of policy on empowering consumers.
