The current handbook, which sets out expectation for solicitors and firms, has over 400 pages of rules, including a code of conduct that spans around 30 pages.

Focus on principles

The regulator says the new, shorter version will focus on principles and professional standards ‘rather than complex, prescriptive rules’. It has opened a four-month consultation on new separate codes for solicitors and firms, with proposals including giving greater freedom for solicitors to deliver legal services outside regulated firms.

‘More choice’

Chief executive Paul Philip said: 'Some of the current rules are out of step with a legal market that is rapidly changing. We plan to give solicitors more freedom to work outside regulated firms. That will give the public more choice, increasing access to high-quality legal services at a price they can afford.’

Source: The Law Society Gazette