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Legal Professions - regulatory and representative bodies
http://www.legalservicesboard.org.uk/
Site of the new body responsible for overseeing the regulation of lawyers in England and Wales. Its goal is to reform and modernize the legal services market place by putting the interests of consumers at the heart of the system, reflecting the objectives of the statute that created it, the Legal Services Act 2007. They share their regulatory functions with other approved regulators, such as the Bar Standards Board and the Solicitors Regulatory Authority - see below.
Home page of the Bar Council. The Bar Council is the professional body for barristers in England and Wales. It provides representation and services for the Bar, and guidance on issues of professional practice.
https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/
The Bar Standards Board was established in January 2006 as a result of the Bar Council separating its regulatory and representative functions. As the independent regulatory board of the Bar Council, it is responsible for regulating barristers called to the Bar in England and Wales. It takes decisions independently and in the public interest and is not prejudiced by the Bar Council's representative function.
Introduction to the Law Society. The Society is the professional body for solicitors in England and Wales. The home page provides links to other specialist solicitor groups including: Local Government Group; Commerce and Industry group; Association of Women Solicitors and many others.
http://www.sra.org.uk/home/home.page
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) regulates more than 100,000 solicitors in England and Wales. Its purpose is to protect the public by ensuring that solicitors meet high standards and by acting when risks are identified.
The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) has roots going back as far as 1892. However, the Managing Clerks' Association, as it was back then, was established as ILEX, with the support of the Law Society in 1963. The Institute recognised that many non-solicitor staff employed in fee earning work and in the management of firms, needed and wanted a training route which would improve standards and award recognition for knowledge and skills. The education and training facilities the Institute offers have developed in number and diversity providing a route to a career in law which is open to all. The Institute was awarded a Royal Charter in 2012. Chartered Legal Executives are fully qualified lawyers who are eligible to become Advocates in open court, partners in law firms and Judges.
https://www.cilexregulation.org.uk/
Home page of ILEX Professional Standards Limited (IPS). This is the independent regulator of members of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx). It oversees the education, qualification and practice standards of Chartered Legal Executives and other CILEx members and promotes proper standards of professional and personal conduct.
Home page of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents. CIPA is the professional and examining body for patent agents (also known as patent attorneys) in the United Kingdom. The Institute was founded in 1882 and was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1891. It represents virtually all the 1400 registered patent attorneys in the United Kingdom, whether they practise in industry or in private practice.
Home page of the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys. CITMA is the professional body for trade mark attorneys in the United Kingdom. Established in 1934, it plays a significant role in promoting the importance of registering trade marks - extending the protection offered by registration and increasing the benefits it brings.
The Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPReg) has been set up by the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) and the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (ITMA) to undertake the regulation of the Patent Attorney and Trade Mark Attorney professions. CIPA and ITMA are Approved Regulators under the Legal Service Act 2007, and in order to separate their regulatory functions from their representational functions, as the Act requires them to do, they have each set up a Regulation Board (a Patent Attorney Regulation Board and a Trade Mark Attorney Regulation Board) which as far as is possible will act and take decisions together as the Intellectual Property Regulation Board.
Home page of the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, the regulatory body for Licensed Conveyancers who are qualified specialist property lawyers.
http://www.associationofcostslawyers.co.uk/
Home page of Association of Costs Lawyers (ACL). It was founded in 1977 to represent and promote the status and interest of Cost Lawyers practising in England & Wales.
From 31 October 2011 the Costs Lawyer Standards Board became the Approved Regulator of Costs Lawyers under delegated authority of the ACL. The regulatory work of the CLSB includes setting and maintaining the education and training requirements that need to be met by costs lawyers; their continuing professional development requirements; the professional conduct rules for Costs Lawyers; and the disciplinary mechanisms for any Costs Lawyers who fall short of the standard expected of them.
https://www.fca.org.uk/firms/claims-management
Homepage to the Financial Conduct Authority’s work in relation to Claims Management Companies. It started this work on 1 April 2019.
http://www.barcouncil.org.uk/using-a-barrister/public-access/
Site setting out information about how to access a barrister directly, without first instructing a solicitor.
http://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/firm-based-authorisation/abs/abs-search.page
Provides a list of firms which have been authorised to take advantage of the rules relating to alternative business structures
https://www.legalchoices.org.uk/
This is a website run by the regulators for the legal professions in England and Wales. It provides factual information about different types of lawyers, how lawyers may help in different kinds of case, how to complain if things go wrong. Currently a rather clunky and hard to use site which should be made more user friendly.
Complaints
http://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/
Home page of the scheme which deals with all complaints about lawyers.
Specialist groups
There are many of these listed particularly on the Law Society and Bar Council sites covering most areas of practice; see also above Chapter 7 Family Law
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/civil-service-government-legal-service
Home page of the Government Legal Service (now called the Government Legal Profession). The GLS embraces around 1700 lawyers (including Trainee Solicitors and Pupil Barristers) employed in about 40 Government organisations, ranging from Departments of State such as the Home Office, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to agencies and other public bodies such as the Office of the Rail Regulator, the Office of Fair Trading and Companies House
Home page of the Criminal Law Solicitors Association, formed to defend the interests of solicitors specialising in criminal law practice; it also offers advice about what the citizen should do if he or she gets involved with the police.
Advice bodies
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/
Home page of Citizens’ Advice - the national organisation that underpins Citizens’ Advice Bureaux.
http://www.adviceuk.org.uk/about/
Advice UK is the leading UK network of information and advice agencies. It is the main point of contact and provider of support services to over 900 independent agencies spread throughout the UK.
Homepage of the Advice Services Alliance
Website linking to over 160 other websites offering advice on legal matters; prepared by Advice Services Alliance with funding from the Community Legal Service.
https://www.lawcentres.org.uk/
Site of the Law Centres Network. It encourages the development of publicly funded legal services for those most disadvantaged in society and promotes the Law Centre model as the best means of achieving this. It promotes good Law Centre practice and innovation in the delivery of high quality legal services to the community.
https://www.centralenglandlc.org.uk/
Originally the site of the Coventry law centre, it now extends to law centres in Coventry and Birmingham. Set up in 1976 to provide free legal advice and representation to people facing disadvantage in Coventry, it now operates in Central England and this is a very detailed website which gives a great deal of information about its work.
Home page of the Solicitors Pro Bono group, a small, national charity whose aim is to enable and encourage lawyers to provide free legal help to individuals and community groups in need. Also refers to student providers and mediation.
‘Advocate’ – formerly the Bar Pro Bono groups – is a similar body for barristers offering free representation.
The Access to Justice Foundation aims to improve access to justice for the most vulnerable in society. It does this by raising funds and distributing them to organisations that support those who need legal help but cannot afford it. The Foundation receives pro bono costs awarded in cases where the lawyers for the winning party were acting for free; and unclaimed client account balances from law firms. It then distributes those funds to Legal Support Trusts, to national pro bono organisations, and to strategic projects. The Legal Support Trusts in turn distribute funds to local advice agencies and law centres.
Anti-discrimination bodies
https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en
Home page of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, a publicly funded agency bringing together the former Equal Opportunities Commission, working to eliminate sex discrimination; the Commission for Racial Equality set up under the Race Relations Act 1976 to tackle racial discrimination and promote racial equality; and the Disability Rights Commission, an independent body established by Act of Parliament to eliminate discrimination against disabled people and promote equality of opportunity.
Pressure groups
Home page of the Legal Action Group, a national, independent charity which campaigns for equal access to justice for all members of society.
http://www.cpag.org.uk/welfare-rights
Part of the Child Poverty Action Group, with information on welfare rights issues
https://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/
Home page of Liberty, a civil liberties group that has existed since 1934.
Home page of specialist charity offering advice on tax matters.
https://publiclawproject.org.uk/
Home page of the Public law project, an independent, national legal charity which aims to improve access to public law remedies for those whose access is restricted by poverty, discrimination or other similar barriers. PLP has adopted three key objectives, increasing the accountability of public decision-makers; enhancing the quality of public decision-making; and improving access to justice.
Legal academic sites
https://www.legalscholars.ac.uk/
Home page of the Society of Legal Scholars, the learned society for academic lawyers
Home page of the socio-legal studies association, a broadly based group of scholars and researchers who study the relationship between law and society.
Home page of the Association of Law Teachers, another group representing law teachers in Higher and Further Education.
https://www.thelegaleducationfoundation.org/about-the-legal-education-foundation/vision
The Foundation believes that the law plays an essential role in supporting civil society, economic development and democracy. Its vision is of a society where everyone understands the role and value of the law and has the capability and opportunity to use it to ensure their rights and to fulfil the obligations that accompany these rights. Its charitable purpose is to “promote the advancement of legal education and the study of the law in all its branches.” It does this so that those working in legal services can be equipped to meet legal needs to the highest standards and reflect the diversity of our society. It also does this so that individuals and organisations with legal needs can learn about how to use the law so as to secure fair treatment and protection.
Legal journalism sites
Site of a series of publications about developments in commercial legal practice, in the UK and abroad.
Site of the Lawyer Group, another organisation providing information about commercial legal practice, as well as information about law jobs. Has a dedicated student section.
https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/
Website of e-journal detailing significant developments in the legal profession; excellent way of keeping abreast of a rapidly changing professional landscape