Law and Rights
The Law pages in The Times 31st May stated - "Law has become a tool for rich." The article by Jonathan Ames stated the views of Lord Phillips of Sudbury who has been a qualified solicitor for 48 years.
Regulatory change is blasting through the legal profession and Alternative Business Structures (ABS) are being created as a result of the Legal Services Act 2007. ABS allows private equity and other investors into law firms. Their only interest will be making money. "The profession has sold its soul," said Lord Phillips. "You can be absolutely certain that if leading corporations get involved in ABS they will not do the work that is complex, difficult and under-rewarded; they will cherry pick."
The diminishing number of high street solicitors firms trying to service the whole population - and in particular the less well-off - will be knocked out of the market. Then, the ABS outfits
will up their prices. "It is an approach totally devoid of any sense of social contract." "It is the marketisation of our lives that I'd hoped would never infect my own beloved profession in the way it has."
Lord Phillips also attacks the amount of legislation. "The ruling classes are addicted to legislating." "There is more and more law that constrains our lives," he says, pointing out that Parliament produces 13000 to 15000 pages of statutes annually. In 2011, there were 14 laws introduced each day. "We legislate more than any other major democratic country," Phillips says. All this does is lead to more bureaucracy, centralisation and demoralisation.
Phillips made the further point that the way we are moving will result in the rich and powerful being even more advantaged than they already are in terms of legal services. There is not even a remote equality of arms. The law has become another tool for the rich and mighty that others can't access.
Legal Cheek's post is well worth reading - "Impersonal and bureaucratic legal profession is in crisis."
Lord Phillips makes seriously important points. It is hard to disagree given the serious erosion of access to justice which is taking place.
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Law and Rights
Law has become a tool for the rich
Regulatory change is blasting through the legal profession and Alternative Business Structures (ABS) are being created as a result of the Legal Services Act 2007. ABS allows private equity and other investors into law firms. Their only interest will be making money. "The profession has sold its soul," said Lord Phillips. "You can be absolutely certain that if leading corporations get involved in ABS they will not do the work that is complex, difficult and under-rewarded; they will cherry pick."
The diminishing number of high street solicitors firms trying to service the whole population - and in particular the less well-off - will be knocked out of the market. Then, the ABS outfits
will up their prices. "It is an approach totally devoid of any sense of social contract." "It is the marketisation of our lives that I'd hoped would never infect my own beloved profession in the way it has."
Lord Phillips also attacks the amount of legislation. "The ruling classes are addicted to legislating." "There is more and more law that constrains our lives," he says, pointing out that Parliament produces 13000 to 15000 pages of statutes annually. In 2011, there were 14 laws introduced each day. "We legislate more than any other major democratic country," Phillips says. All this does is lead to more bureaucracy, centralisation and demoralisation.
Phillips made the further point that the way we are moving will result in the rich and powerful being even more advantaged than they already are in terms of legal services. There is not even a remote equality of arms. The law has become another tool for the rich and mighty that others can't access.
Legal Cheek's post is well worth reading - "Impersonal and bureaucratic legal profession is in crisis."
Lord Phillips makes seriously important points. It is hard to disagree given the serious erosion of access to justice which is taking place.
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Lord Dyson - presently a Justice of the Supreme Court - will become Master of the Rolls on 1st October 2012 - Announcement from No. 10. This is an ancient office but, in modern times, the Master of the Rolls presides over the Court of Appeal...
- Assange: Supreme Court Decision
This morning the Supreme Court ruled that the request by the Swedish prosecutor for the extradition of Mr Julian Assange was lawfully made - see Judgment and Press release. For the purposes of the European Framework Decision creating the European...
- The Wind Of Change In Legal Services
Autumn 2011 - Rowan BerriesJust over 51 years ago, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan used the phrase "wind of change" in a speech to the Parliament of South Africa. Today, as autumn sets in, the wind of change is blowing and will alter markedly the ways...
- A Changing Legal World
In December 2004, Sir David Clementi completed his review of the provision of legal services. The eventual outcome was the Legal Services Act 2007 some of which has already been implemented with more to come later in 2010 and in 2011. ...
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24th March saw the final budget of the Labour Government elected in 2005. On top of recently announced closures of 20 magistrates' courts, the Ministry of Justice published plans to make further substantial savings - see Ministry of Justice. ...