SRA research reveals 'power' of high street firms

Good grief..."High street firms have ‘power’ and are known in their communities..." Whatever next? SRA research to reveal that day follows night, dogs chase cats etc.

Holy cow! Should they not have identified "the problems consumers face when using a legal service" and "the barriers to consumers achieving good outcomes with a legal services provider" before now?They seem quite happy to tell us how to run our practices without, apparently, any background knowledge!

Breathtaking, and this cost how much? Amazing to see how the SRA seems to have become some outreach department of Social Services; the assumption that influences everything they do is the tired old mantra of "lawyers bad - public good". How about this for on trend bureaucrat speak - "we hope to improve our understanding of the barriers to consumers achieving good outcomes with a legal services providers, and what types of information can help break down some of these barriers."

What does this uber trendy claptrap actually mean? Once again, the SRA wants to "understand" consumers and like some white knight "break down" barriers that those nasty lawyers have thrown up to prevent the consumer from getting what he deserves. Oh please. You can tell that these people have forgotten what it is like to run a business - if that is they ever did. Fact of the matter is that for many "consumers", the aim is to pay as little as possible and get as much as possible - anything else is not a "good outcome". They'll do this in much the same way that some will gripe to a garage that the paintwork on their repaired car does not have the appearance of painted glass - ignoring that they only want to pay bargain basement money for a Rolls Royce job. The problem is that the uber credulous yet highly dangerous meddlers at the SRA have committed themselves to encouraging this inane mindset.

Buying legal services is not like buying a bag of bananas and never will be, and in encouraging a "race to the bottom" on the pretext that consumers must have low price or no price but a premier league service is total folly. Much of the work that the profession is expensive for a reason; it is complex and therefore costly. Often clients do not get the outcome they want - oftern because it is impossible to do so. Any number of discussions can often fail to shake a firmly held but incorrect belief. It costs considerable sums to operate a practice and like other businesses this is reflected in the price of the goods/services. It is simple as that. The fact that "consumers" will want to pay less for legal services does not need an expensive survey.

I expect that the only tangible "outcome" from this jolly jape will be more red tape and diktats to ensure that consumers unrealistic expectations are fulfilled. Is there anyone in the SRA who has an ounce of common sense? Seldom has so much power been wielded by an organisation so manifestly unsuited to wielding it.

I wonder if hidden behind this is a desire of SRA to educate "consumers" about alternative sources of providers of legal services. SRA wants ABSs to succeed and needs new entrants to make the move to OFR worth all the effort and hype.
Alternatively it's a recognition that the High Street firm is not dead and buried.
I wonder if LSB and the Consumer Panel will be pleased to hear that despite their best efforts not much has changed.
Why don't SRA just concentrate on regulating?

I hope that in investigating the legal services market in the High Street the researchers look into the operation of the Code involving referral fees at the point of sale. As we know it is the referral fee paying solicitor's duty to ensure that the Estate Agent does not pressurise the Client into using the firm which pays the fee.

As we all know this does not happen. Uunregulated and unaccountable 'Power' is given to the Estate Agent over the Solicitor and the Client and any other professional who pays such a fee i.e Suveyors and Mortgage Brokers. This is where the ‘Power ‘ lies and let's hope this is looked into when the SRA make their investigations.