The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) held a discussion on protecting and promoting competition in response to disruptive innovations in legal services. It observed that innovation brings new types of competition and new pressures on the regulatory framework, including on professional exclusivity, entry restrictions and self-regulation. Read more in the competition area of…
SRA Innovate
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in England and Wales has a policy of encouraging providers to communicate their service innovations so the regulator and providers can make sure regulation is not a barrier to innovation. The programme is called ‘SRA Innovate’. The SRA website says, ‘If you have been thinking of a new way to…
Innovating Regulation – Prairie Law Societies discussion paper
This discussion paper focusses on entity regulation, compliance-based regulation, and alternative business structures. It reviews experiences in Canada, Australia, England and Wales, and the United States of America. The paper suggests that there is a gap between the regulatory frameworks of the three states and the requirements of the current legal services market. The discussion…
Innovations in the provision of legal services in the United States
In a report for the RAND Corporation, Neil Rickman and James M. Anderson present a framework for examining legal sector innovation in the United States. This framework is to aid policymakers in understanding the likely effects of innovations and the role of regulation in promoting or deterring innovation. RAND Corporation. “Innovations in the Provision of Legal Services in…
Innovation in legal services
The Solicitors Regulation Authority surveyed 1,500 organisations and concluded: Alternative Business Structures (ABSs) have succeeded in promoting innovation and diversity; ABS Solicitors are 13-15 per cent more likely to introduce new legal services. Solicitors are, on average, more innovative than other regulated legal services organisations in terms of both managerial and organisational changes. 80 per…