Chartered legal executives have new practice rights pending in probate and conveyancing

updated on 13 December 2013

The Legal Services Board (LSB) has granted chartered legal executives the right to practise independently in the areas of probate and conveyancing.

As reported by the Law Society Gazette, ILEX Professional Standards will now be able to authorise chartered legal executives and the organisations for which they work to practise in these areas. The recommendation will go before the lord chancellor, Chris Grayling, for final parliamentary approval next year. If granted, the new regulatory powers would come into effect in 2015.

Commenting on the move, Desmond Hudson, chief executive of the Law Society, said: "Solicitors are, rightly, the trusted brand for legal advice. Consumers will need to be satisfied that the regulatory arrangements - and particularly those for compensation - [that] apply to other little-known competitors are appropriate for their needs, and as robust as they would expect from a solicitor."