Wrestling with the rules

Law Society Council members will this week re-engage the complicated issue of how the solicitors' profession should be regulated.

Regulation is a tricky equation.

Too much for some is almost always too little for others.

However, recommendations from the Office of Fair Trading on competition in the legal profession will soon result in ministers turning an eagle eye on the business side of being a lawyer.

That is why the recent work of the Law Society's regulation review working party has been so crucial.

It illustrates to the government that solicitors take the issue seriously and that Chancery Lane is prepared to lead with suggestions on the way forward.

It also sends a key message that the Society is not going to let anyone else regulate the profession.

Since we first broke the story, the media has been chewing over the prospect of employed solicitors - or 'supermarket lawyers', in the tabloid vernacular - offering services directly to the public.

The issues are complex, but it is good to see solicitors at the forefront of a positive debate.