The Law Society was deemed to have ‘misleadingly exaggerated the membership requirements’ and that accreditation set up to help property buyers and sellers in England and Wales was more rigorous than it actually was. This news follows another ruling earlier in the year when the Law Society was found to have abused its dominant position demanding firms purchase its own training courses.

Exaggerated

Essentially, the ASA ruled that the ad ‘exaggerated the level of knowledge, skills and experience possessed by a CQS-accredited firm and its staff, and the extent of the checks that a firm had to undergo to receive its accreditation’. The watchdog explained: ‘While we acknowledged that firms were granted CQS accreditation on the basis of independently-verified information attesting that they met an adequate standard... the ad exaggerated the level of knowledge, skills and experience possessed... and the extent of the checks that a firm had to undergo to receive its accreditation.’

Never intended to mislead

A spokesman from the Law Society said: 'We acknowledge the ASA council’s ruling and have taken steps to amend the advertisement. The advertisement was never intended to mislead consumers…The intention of the CQS scheme has always been to promote the highest standards of conveyancing practice and ensure consumer and lender confidence in conveyancing transactions.’ The Law Society represents some 170,000 solicitors in England and Wales.