Why high street solicitors are the only safe bet for reliable legal advice

In an age where looking for legal services in Staines or elsewhere in the UK can be done as easily as searching on Google, rather than picking up a phone book it is unfortunate that this has opened up issues for public safety.

Whilst, of course, there are some dubious characters using the internet for illicit means, there is also another problem in that the word ‘lawyer’ is not a protected title.

A lawyer is something the general public tend to understand as someone who is a Licensed Legal Practitioner qualified to give legal advice in one or more areas of law, but unfortunately, there are unregulated organisations and individuals now taking advantage of this and it’s up to all law firms to highlight this matter.

It means that there are many consumers unclear as to whether they are buying services from a regulated legal provider.

For instance, research by the Legal Services Board (LSB), which is the body responsible for overseeing the regulation of lawyers in England and Wales, demonstrates there are increasing numbers of unregulated providers supplying the same legal services as solicitors firms.

However, the public is unaware that they won’t get the same level of protection from an unregulated provider if problems occur.

The LSB said some time ago, the word ‘lawyer,’ is not a protected title, so unqualified people can use the word, but whilst they are not breaking any laws, do the public realise their lawyer may be unqualified, unregulated and uninsured?

Solicitors and chartered legal executives are regulated by the LSB and have to comply with high standards and a code of conduct or they can be struck off. Also, on the rare occasions when solicitors do make errors the public can rest assured that there is recourse as solicitors have insurance for such matters.

Legal expertise is something that is not called on lightly, and in many cases for matters, which can cause great distress.

Qualified lawyers in Staines and elsewhere, which means solicitors and legal executives who have proven knowledge to deal with the law are the only sensible option, and so we feel this advice has to be provided to members of the public in Staines so they can make an informed decision when they choose a provider of legal services. It’s too important a subject to say nothing about.

Anyone, wishing to discuss matters pertaining to this article or any other legal matters are more than welcome to contact us at Dale & Newbery in Staines.