Conveyancing Firms Need To Be Open With Customers About Referral Arrangements

The Legal Services Board has given approval to the Council for Licensed Conveyancers to amend its rules and require licensed firms to improve information about costs and whether a referral fee has been paid to an agent.

The aim of this is to enable consumers to make informed decisions about their choice of legal service provider.

Sheila Kumar, chief executive of the CLC, said: “We are pleased that the LSB has approved our rule changes which come into force in December.

“We can now move ahead with the changes to make sure consumers will have access to additional and clearer information to help them make an informed choice when deciding which lawyer to use.

“From September we will be providing support to our licensed community to implement the changes and we will encourage firms to look to our guidance on implementation.”

CLC practices will also be required to make cost information readily available. This includes informing customers whether they have referral arrangements and them being readily accessible on their website and in alternative formats on request.

The CLC will publish guidance along with cost estimate templates to ensure quotes are comprehensive and comparable.