Official fears for Law Soc under Labour

A top Law Society official has warned that its regulatory role will be threatened under a Labour government unless it keeps public confidence.

Writing in Legal Action, the monthly journal of the Legal Action Group, John Randall, director of the professional standards and development directorate, highlighted three key areas of risk which could bring about greater outside control, unless the Law Society acts.

They are complaints handling, multi-disciplinary partnerships and the use of practice rules which appear to act against consumer interest.

Lawyers face an "insidious growth" of control from other organisations, Randall said. He claimed that the Lord Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Legal Education and Conduct was "developing a regulatory agenda" and added that calls to introduce a single retail regulator, will, if implemented, end the Law's Society's regulation of investment business.

Randall also called for the initiation of a dialogue with the Labour Party.