The government will today invite the legal profession to identify business-restricting regulations, naming three ‘sector champions’ as intermediaries. In the legal services stage of prime minister David Cameron’s ‘red tape challenge’ the Ministry of Justice has pinpointed more than 150 regulations suitable for scrutiny.

Lawyers will be consulted over the next three weeks on what rules they would like to see simplified or scrapped altogether. Streamlined court processes and the administration of legal aid are likely to be at the forefront of proposed changes.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has promised to give ‘proper consideration’ to any suggestion that removes unnecessary regulation.

Justice minister Jonathan Djanogly said: ‘By reducing red tape as part of this initiative across government, we are helping businesses to compete, create jobs and unleash a private sector-led recovery.

‘The MoJ is bringing together industry, professional bodies, regulators, policy-makers, lawyers and analysts to work out solutions and a different approach to how regulation has been managed in the past.’

The three ‘sector champions’ appointed to oversee the consultation are Law Society deputy vice-president Nick Fluck, Legal Services Consumer Panel chair Elisabeth Davies and Zachary Bredemear, a member of the legal services committee of the Bar Council. They will act as intermediaries between the profession and government.

Fluck said: ‘There are issues at the moment where the rules are completely arbitrary - these are the silly things that need to be reviewed.’

The consultation, which ends on 21 June, will allow legal professionals and consumers to have their say online about a set list of regulations.

Specific measures likely to come under scrutiny include the Licensed Conveyancers (Compensation for Inadequate Professional Services) Order 2009, the Legal Services Act 2007 (Levy) Rules 2010 and the Solicitors (Non-Contentious Business) Remuneration Order 2009.

Suggestions could either be dealt with directly by the SRA and other regulators, or legislated upon.

‘If there are regulatory requirements that could genuinely be removed, then we want to hear about it,’ said SRA chief executive Antony Townsend.

The prime minister launched the ‘red tape challenge’ last year and the public has since had its say on more than 10,000 regulations. About 750 have been scrapped or amended.