This part looks at how people access justice in Wales, as well as the general make-up and regulation of the legal profession.
When it comes to regulating legal professionals in EnglandandWales, the picture is quite complicated.
The Legal Services Board provides oversight to all practising lawyers. It’s a non-governmental department funded by the UK Ministry of Justice (though its activities are restricted to England and Wales). They approve and recognise other legal regulatory bodies and sit above the separate regulatory bodies of the legal professions, which include:
Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) – As the name suggests, this is the regulatory body for solicitors headquartered in Birmingham but with an office in London. It decides standards and regulations for solicitors – including a code of conduct – as well as the requirements for professional training. It determines the award of various certificates including certificates of good standing (to work in another legal jurisdiction) and administers the Solicitors Qualifying Examination. The representative professional body for solicitors is The Law Society (of England and Wales).
Bar Standards Board – This is the regulatory and standards body for barristers. Much like the SRA it administers a code of practice, deals with complaints and oversees qualification and licence to practice processes. The BSB is headquartered in London. Somewhat confusingly, the four Inns of Court – to which all barristers in England and Wales belong – have their own disciplinary and training role, though ultimately the BSB will decide what sanctions to take. The representative professional body for barristers in England and Wales is The Bar Council.
Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) – Oversees the training and professional regulation of legal executives; headquartered in Bedford. There’s a seemingly strong focus on professional development and it has its own law school offering various courses from apprentice to graduate level.
Master of the Faculties – An office of the Archbishop of Canterbury (yes, really) that regulates notaries. As mentioned earlier, notaries play an important role in verifying legal documents.
There are also separate specialist regulatory and representative bodies for conveyancers, copyright and patent lawyers and chartered accountants; many of whom are already likely to be practising solicitors.
The Legal Ombudsman considers complaints against all legal professionals based on the quality of service. Complaints about conduct are usually left to the individual professional regulatory bodies.
