LEGAL SERVICES BILL OVERWHELMINGLY PASSES FIRST STAGE IN SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

LEGAL SERVICES BILL OVERWHELMINGLY PASSES FIRST STAGE IN SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

The Scottish Government's Legal Services (Scotland) Bill was overwhelmingly supported by MSPs at its first stage in the Scottish Parliament this afternoon. The Bill will enable the establishment of new business models for legal services thus opening up public access to high quality legal services.

Welcoming the Parliament's decision, SNP MSP Nigel Don, a member of Holyrood's Justice Committee, said:
"The SNP Scottish Government has put the principle of user-centred services at the heart of its policy approach. Legal services should be no different and this bill will make the legal services market more open and accessible and provide more choice for the public. People nowadays quite rightly want to be able to access legal services in the same way that they do other services, quickly and easily and in a way that suits their particular needs, and the bill will enable legal service providers in Scotland to respond to that desire.

"The robust new regulatory framework that the bill puts in place will also allow users to have confidence in the quality of the service they are paying for. It's no wonder that the Legal Services Bill is strongly supported by consumer organisations, a fact which I welcome.

"It's a good piece of legislation for the legal profession as well. By removing outdated restrictions on business models, it will allow firms to respond to market changes and grow and compete both in the UK and internationally. The changes are not compulsory: firms will be able to stick with the traditional legal business model if that suits them, but they will no longer be constrained by it.

"The Legal Services Bill has passed its first parliamentary stage today and with the overwhelming support that MSPs have given to the principles behind it, I am hopeful that Scottish consumers will soon be able to benefit from these important changes."