CILEx Regulation are proud to be active participants in the new Wales Forum that has been established by the Legal Service Board, in liaison with the Welsh Government. Richard Hood, CRL’s interim Director of Governance, Policy & Legal, attended the meeting in Cardiff in person on 10 April, joining the LSB and all eight legal sector regulatory bodies who were also represented.
The purpose of the Forum is to recognise the political and social differences between Wales and other parts of the UK and in particular, the divergence between Welsh Law and English Law. It also aims to work in partnership to promote the interests of justice in Wales and those legal practitioners working within the country.
Access to justice is of major concern and recent research from the LSB showed that in Wales, 31% of adults, and 4% of small businesses have an unmet legal need. It also showed that law firms in Wales are less likely to offer services online (26% compared to 32% for England and Wales) and firms in Wales are less likely to invest in IT (34% compared to 42% for England and Wales overall).
Further data and evidence is needed however, to enable regulators (and other stakeholders) to better understand and target issues that specifically affect Welsh legal services users, such as access to legal assistance (including tackling advice deserts) and the lack of Welsh language provision in the sector.
In terms of outcomes and current activity:
- CRL is working towards providing greater Welsh language content on its website and reaching out to Welsh practitioners – this commitment is included within our Corporate Plan 2024.
- All Regulators have committed to working together with the Welsh Government in undertaking and sharing research that includes Welsh specific data, enabling regulators to identify and target issues affecting Welsh legal services users.
- Regulators will jointly consider accounting for the differences in legal provision in England and Wales in education and training, at the point of entry to the profession and ongoing competence requirements. This would include also considering the differences in the information made available to legal services users and the public for example via the Legal Choices website and other collaborative endeavours.
While some progress has been made, ongoing efforts are necessary to enhance access to justice for all in Wales.
