The new report has been published by the Legal Services Board, the legal profession super-regulator for England & Wales. It notes: ‘The legal profession speaks a fundamentally different language to the general public. Although many jurisdictions have implemented measures to bridge the language gap through ‘plain language’ initiatives, many people continue to feel overwhelmed by the concept of approaching a lawyer for help.’

The report says that the profession should look to other sectors as examples in overcoming these issues, as they are not specific to the legal industry, and highlights the efforts of medical and financial professions to use plain English to enable consumers to better understand processes.