Shopping around for legal advice? Study will help shape the future

Jane Ching, of Nottingham Trent University, is part of a group which will study the future of the legal profession.

HAVE you had an accident in the last three years that wasn't your fault?

If you watch daytime TV you'll be familiar with commercials offering to help you obtain compensation. If you look at the small print, you'll see some of these organisations are firms of solicitors, but not all are.

There have always been some choices in who you get your legal advice from.

If you have a problem with your landlord, do you go to the Citizens' Advice Bureau, a solicitor or a charity specialising in housing?

If you have to appear in court you can represent yourself or hire a solicitor, legal executive or barrister.

Each will charge different rates and you may be able to expect those who offer legal advice or representation to have insurance to protect them (and you) if they make a mistake.

But imagine for a moment being able to get legal advice from the same place that you do your shopping or banking. Very soon it could be a reality.

In October, the Legal Services Act 2007 comes into full force, allowing not only competition between the existing legal professions, but new entrants into the market.

Legal education used to be fairly simple: you did a law degree (or another degree plus a conversion course), followed by a professional qualification course, and then an apprenticeship and, after about six years, you emerged as a solicitor or a barrister.

If you went straight into a law firm from school, you might take legal executive qualifications.

Now, and particularly after October, it isn't going to be that simple. We might, as I said earlier, go to the supermarket for our routine legal work instead of to a solicitor or an advice centre.

All this is confusing for the consumer, but even more confusing for potential students, thinking about the jobs that might be available at the end of their courses.

Consequently, regulatory bodies for the legal professions have constituted a consultation panel to look at future demand for and changes to legal services and the education and training that will be needed.

We are due to report in late 2012. It's going to be a hard task, but a worthwhile one.

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