Paraskeva sets out regional support vision for law firms

A decentralised Law Society will benefit solicitors and their clients, chief executive Janet Paraskeva has said in a new year statement.'Great changes are already happening at the Law Society and the public will reap the benefits in the coming years,' she said.

Ms Paraskeva has drawn up a five-year plan to reform Chancery Lane to show the public that solicitors are an independent and self-regulated profession.A recent independent survey commissioned by the Society showed that eight out of ten clients were satisfied with the outcome of their case, while 83% of clients rated the acting solicitors as 'very good'.

'But this is not good enough,' said Ms Paraskeva.

'The way forward is to decentralise the Law Society.

By giving solicitors more support in their own regions, the Society can help them improve on these satisfaction ratings and offer proper redress if things go wrong'.