Peers in the House of Lords accepted changes made by the
government to the Deregulation Bill which will grant the Council
for Licensed Conveyancers the power to license people to conduct
reserved probate work without them having to become licensed
conveyancers.
Historically, probate work was reserved for solicitors. This was
extended to allow licensed conveyancers, regulated by the Council
for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), to conduct probate work. From
August last year, accountants, regulated by the Institute of
Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, have also been able to
conduct probate work. The proposed legislation will extend the
scope of the CLC's authority to license probate
practitioners.
Presently, the CLC may only authorise a body or person to conduct
reserved probate work if that body or person is already licensed to
provide conveyancing services. The Deregulation Bill, if passed,
will remove the requirement for a licensed probate practitioner to
already be a licensed conveyancer. Those issued licenses will be
known as licensed CLC practitioners.
Anne Bradley, chair of the CLC, said that the intention is to
deliver benefits to consumers and businesses through improved and
enhanced provision of legal services at more competitive
prices.
February's legacy alert reported the Legal Ombudsman's
concerns over unregulated areas of the legal sector, and
highlighted a case study of poor service from an unlicensed probate
practitioner. The proposed legislative amendment will have the
effect of extending the Legal Ombudsman's remit.
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