Transparency Rules: who, what & how much?

The Solicitors Regulatory Association (SRA) has spelled out the range of price and service information law firms must publish under the new Transparency Rules due to take effect in December.

Law firms must say how long a quoted service might typically take and provide details of the experience and qualifications of staff who will be doing the work, the SRA states in guidance published this week. Firms must post the information in a prominent, clearly signposted location on their website. Any solicitor or firm without a website must make the information available immediately in any format for any member of the public who requests it. The SRA guidance says the Transparency Rules will apply to: conveyancing; probate; motoring offences; employment tribunals (claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal); immigration (excluding asylum); debt recovery (up to £100,000); and licensing applications for business premises.

Meanwhile, research published by the SRA this week and compiled by YouGov and Europe Economics suggested that publishing prices might boost business. A survey of about 1,000 small businesses found that they overestimated the cost of using a solicitor by 22%.

Nearly seven in ten small businesses said cost was a barrier to using a solicitor and nearly half of small businesses shop around online for legal services. When prices were published, therefore, assumptions on what solicitors cost fell and more small businesses said they would use a law firm compared to other legal services providers. The SRA said the findings echoed those of previous research which found that the majority of the public (70%) wanted to shop around, but were frustrated by the lack of accessible information available.