Matthew Maxwell Scott, executive director of ACSO (Association of Consumer Support Organisations), said:
“We congratulated LeO’s commitment to maintaining and promoting a policy of openness and transparency. Providing consumers with a greater quality and quantity of data enables them to make better-informed decisions on which legal provider to use.
“LeO has acknowledged that although consumers engage with the data it currently provides, most do so without a comprehensive understanding of what the data reveal. To make data available to the consumer that is obscure in any way, or even which holds the potential to be misunderstood, is at best unlikely to make any meaningful difference in addressing the information asymmetry which exists and could easily be counterproductive and will serve to reinforce any impression consumers might have of legal services being exclusive and/or closed to public scrutiny.
“Consumers often require legal services at a point of some personal distress, such as to resolve a landlord or housing dispute, or to alleviate future distress, such as the writing of a will or probate. We agree that many consumers are confused or intimidated by the legal services market, therefore any measure that serves to ease their experience, improve their confidence and ensure they are receiving the highest-quality service should be supported.
“When considering the long-term development of LeO’s transparency and reporting impact, ACSO acknowledges the significant gap in data collection relating to contextual details within the legal services sector. Data collection is an integral part of the digital age in which we live, yet this age is still in its infancy. Further research is required on what data are most useful for consumers and how best to collate and present information, all the while navigating complex issues such as data privacy rights and potential breaches thereof. ACSO notes that it is the role of LeO to find a way to navigate any such challenges, albeit it with help and guidance from other ombudsman schemes, regulatory bodies and membership bodies.
“We wish to highlight the changing nature of the legal sector. Consumers are finding and accessing legal service providers in new ways, including through the growing, unregulated market offering services such as legal advice. In light of these developments, ACSO urges LeO to continue to work with a broad range of industry stakeholders to help consumers understand what to expect from the legal services sector, what protections are in place, and to allow flexibility for the sector to grow and innovate.”