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Lord Hunt advises Bristol solicitors on Legal Services Bill

Lord Hunt of Wirral - head of financial services at Bristol-based law firm Beachcroft - chaired the Joint Parliamentary Committee that scrutinised the draft Legal Services Bill. He spoke to solicitors from across Bristol about the development of the legislation and the impact it will have on the market. The presentation, organised by Bristol Law Society and chaired by its junior Vice President Tony Woodburn, attracted a huge amount of interest with over 100 solicitors requesting to attend.

The Legal Services Bill represents the biggest ever shake-up of the legal profession and will change forever the way that law firms operate and legal services are provided.
The basic structure of the Bill, which outlines a new regulatory framework intended to better protect the consumer and promote competition, has been accepted in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords and will soon become law. Government amendments in the Commons (largely reinstating original Lords amendments) will be tabled on 5th October and will be debated on 15th October. The provisions of the legislation, which include the setting up of an independent Legal Services Board (LSB) to oversee legal regulatory bodies such as the Law Society and the Bar Council, are likely to come into effect as early as 2010.

Lord Hunt, said, "It has been a long road, but the Legal Services Bill will become law within months or even weeks. I am delighted that Ministers appear to be reconsidering their opposition to amendments that would bring the Bill into line with the structure suggested by both David Clementi and the cross-party select committee that scrutinised the Bill in 2006. This should not be a party-political matter and I still hope and believe that a consensus should be achievable. Either way, change is coming. Consequently it is only a matter of time before the legal profession finds itself operating under a radically transformed regulatory regime. We must all adapt and evolve to survive. The opportunities will be immense, so long as the independence and integrity of the legal profession are effectively protected and enhanced."

Robert Bourns, Senior Partner of TLT and Immediate Past President of Bristol Law Society, hosting the event added, "These reforms are important for clients as well as practitioners. We have been pleased to receive Lord Hunt, who speaks objectively and with authority, in an environment where many have vested interests and are jockeying for position."

Tony Woodburn, Managing Partner at Henriques Griffiths, who was chairing the meeting in his capacity of Junior Vice-President of Bristol Law Society, said, “These reforms will bring significant changes in the way in which legal practices operate. Knowing what these changes are is important not only for lawyers but also for all those who require legal services.”

David Hunt became a partner at Beachcroft in 1969 and from 1996 to 2005 was senior partner of the firm. He graduated in law from Bristol University, where he won the British Debating Championship with Bob Marshall-Andrews. He went on to represent British Universities on a debating tour of America.

In 1979, David became a member of Margaret Thatcher's first administration. After serving as Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities from 1989-90, he was appointed to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Wales. Re-appointed in that position by John Major, he subsequently became Secretary of State for Employment in 1993 and then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in 1994-95.

David Hunt was awarded the MBE in 1973 and appointed to the Privy Council in 1990. He was made a Life Peer as Lord Hunt of Wirral in 1997 and is still President or Patron of over fifty charities and voluntary organisations.

ISSUED: 26 September 2007