Society warns LSB against diversity surveys
The Law Society has joined a wave of criticism of the Legal Services Board (LSB) by repeating its opposition to the publication of the results of mandatory diversity surveys of firms.
In its response to the LSB’s draft business plan for 2013-14, the Society accuses the board of ‘usurping the role of the approved regulators’ and adding to the regulatory burden through its costs to the profession.
The business plan has also come under fire from the Bar Council and the Solicitors Regulation Authority, which said ‘it is not clear that the organisation as a whole has sufficient knowledge or experience of the regulation of professions and conduct of business regulation’.
In its comments, published yesterday, the Society calls for a ‘frank dialogue’ between the LSB, regulators and the profession and has said that current work to make the LSB a licensing authority should ‘be dropped’.
It also reminds the LSB that its role is not to drive regulatory change, but to ensure that the regulators are doing their job of ‘protecting consumers and monitoring the integrity of the profession’.
While supporting the LSB’s objectives on equality and diversity, the Society says that imposing a ‘regulatory obligation’ on firms to conduct surveys about the diversity of their workforce and then publish the results will deter employees in smaller firms from providing the information.
It says that the SRA is already carrying out important work on equality and diversity ‘and it is not clear to us that further work is needed by the LSB now’.
Comments
Another Civil Service bun fight.
Here we go again.
The LSB and the SRA two organisations run by Civil servants and their
sycophants who have no real knowledge of the law. Having hijacked
the legal system they are now fighting over the spoils.
What a sad state of affairs.
Legal people throughout the land should be up in arms about this
idiotic state of affairs.
If the Law Society cannot get a grip it should be disbanded as currently it is
nothing but a theatrical puppet it's strings being pulled by the SRA..
A bit player who has allowed its monster the SRA to play fast and
loose with democratic principles. The SRA is just a pedlar of Bureaucratic
nonsense who persecutes the weak to justify its existence.
When will the LS get a grip. Pathetic.
Governance of the Legal Profession
The previous comment referred to democratic principles. The governance of the legal profession is authoritarian. I have no choice as to whether or not I am a member of The Law Society or whether or not I am subject to the SRA, the LSC or the LO, and I and other members of the profession have no votes that count towards any of the administration or rules of the profession. In the past I think I can remember being asked to cast a postal vote, but not for many many years!
I am all in favour of diversity, but questionnaires and statistics are diversive rather than a promotion of diversity, and do not promote the good name of or respect for the Law!
The Governance of the legal
The Governance of the legal profession may well be authoritarian.
The application of the rules should be fair and equitable when you
do not apply your own rules in a fair and equitable manner as happens
regularly with the SRA Intervention systems, then democratic principles
are ignored. As regular contributors to this forum will confirm.
Unfortunately the SRA do not have any principles democratic or moral.
They are very good at bureaucracy, which breeds bureaucracy, which
keeps them in work.
Bureaucracy
The problem with bureaucracy is that the bureaucrats need something to preside over to maintain their very existince
I fear very soon there will be nothing for them to do as there will be no solicitors profession and the whole legal system will be populated by independent consultants of one form or another, insurers more interested in shareholders profits and salesmen more interested in commissions that a clients best interest
As for the democratic / fair systems of the SRA I find it ironic that the 'judicial' systems they use are the least democratic sytems around - they have nothing to do with fairness - operating on 70's police style investigations - we know you did it so confess and if you do not we will nail you anyhow because we can smell a 'wrong un'
Legal Coalface, I think you
Legal Coalface, I think you are correct.
But I think the SRA preside over the Law Society.
The Servant has become the bullying master and Law Society appears to have lost it's marbles.
Consequently the SRA can do as they please with absolutely no one to control their actions.
The silence of the LSB over the passed 5 years clearly illustrates that they, the super
regulator, are impotent.
Agree with both Coldslaw & Legal Coalface
Agree with both Coldslaw & Legal Coalface.
True LS has created this monster and now they can not control it. As correctly stated that on the contrary it is the SRA who is controlling the LS.
It has been admitted by the president of the LS that they are scared of the SRA.
Coldslaw is absolutely right that SRA are out of control.
"Who is regulating the regulator?"
The whole legal system is in shambles. The Judges/Masters are listening to the SRA. Where do the innocent go.
As somebody mentioned in an earlier article. It is about time solicitors should form their own Law Society who would protect the interest of the public and the integrity of the profession. NOT the pockets of the SRA & LS.
It is about time the parliament listens.
Too many discussions have taken place. Don't you think it is time for action.
It has been concluded that LS is run by SRA. Nobody is controlling the SRA. Express train is running without a driver.
Very well summarized, I hope
Very well summarized, I hope that someone somewhere either
in the media or within the Legal system itself really does look into
the doings of the SRA. It is certainly overdue. But who in the legal
system? They all appear to be Establishment, so no one is going to
rock the boat from within, thats for sure, too many vested interests.
They cannot be allowed to continue to ride rough shod over the
little man, whilst ignoring the establishment big wigs. They act like
authoritarian thugs with no principles or regards for anyone other than
their big boy members. They will be getting a new uniform next to match
their jack boots.
Who knows maybe the current inquiry into alleged imbalances produced
by their actions will start the ball rolling. Let us hope so.