Abstract Government regulation of individual and business activity is part and parcel of modern society. But many businesses face difficulties in understanding and navigating the legal hurdles, rules, and uncertainty that come with modern regulation. Many governments in Canada have taken steps to reduce this burden by streamlining regulation and cutting unnecessary red tape. In…
EU Regular Economic Report: Growth, Jobs and Integration: Services to the Rescue
The EU Regular Economic Report (RER) is a periodic publication of the World Bank Group and covers economic developments and prospects, as well as economic policies in the European Union. The report focuses on four regional sub-groups that share broad economic similarities (see map): Central Europe comprises Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania,…
Report on regulation and productivity in Europe’s professional services markets
Europe has had a persistent low growth problem over much of the past decade, exacerbated by the severe economic contraction triggered by the financial crisis, when EU GDP fell by 4.5% in 2009 alone. Since then, the European economy has been characterised by low growth rates, stubborn unemployment and stagnant productivity. According to European Commission…
IMF working paper: Structural reform in Germany
This paper provides a quantitative evaluation of the macroeconomic, distributional, and fiscal effects of three reform proposals for Germany: i) a reduction in the social security tax in the low-wage sector, ii) a publicly financed expansion of full-day child care and full-day schooling, and iii) the further deregulation of the professional services sector. The analysis…
The Legal Problems of Everyday Life: The Nature, Extent and Consequences of Justiciable Problems Experienced by Canadians
The purpose of this study is to inform policy makers about the incidence of civil justice problems and the extent of unmet need for assistance that justiciable problems in civil matters might represent. The study assumes a broad view of civil justice problems and unmet need. The broad view looks at the problem of civil…
Initial Report to the Minister of Justice and Equality on MultiDisciplinary Practices
This report, produced by Hook Tangaza, was commissioned through McDowell Purcell Solicitors by the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (“the Authority”) in Ireland. It is intended to assist the Authority in fulfilling its obligations under section 119 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 (“the Act”). Section 119 requires the Authority to make an initial report…
Legal Services: removing barriers to competition. Consultation on proposals to make amendments to the Legal Services Act 2007
This consultation sets out the UK government’s proposals to amend the regulatory framework for legal services to reduce barriers to the licensing of, and regulatory burdens on, legal service businesses that are licensed as Alternative Business Structures, bringing the legislative framework for these businesses more in line with that for other legal service businesses. Link…
OECD: Protecting and promoting competition in response to ‘disruptive’ innovations in legal services
This document was prepared by the OECD Secretariat to serve as an issues paper at the 61th meeting of the OECD Working Party No. 2 on Competition and Regulation (13 June 2016). This paper introduces recent disruptive innovations in legal services markets, as well as the overarching trends giving rise to them. The role for…
Making CLE Voluntary and Pro Bono Mandatory: A Law Faculty Test Case
The vast majority of attorneys in the US are required to complete 10 to 15 hours of continuing legal education (“CLE”) every year, an experience well summarized by one attendee’s observation that “[k]nowledge is good, but coerced seat time is wasteful [and] insulting.” The primary rationale for mandatory CLE is to help ensure competent client…
Measuring Legal Service Value
This article proposes a theoretical foundation for measuring legal service value. It aims to support efforts to compare the value of offerings from different law firms, as well as alternative legal service providers. The value of any legal service depends on (i) its effectiveness, (ii) its affordability, (iii) the experience it creates for its clients,…