The Legal Services Board (LSB) in the UK says there is no evidence of an oversupply of lawyers in the market and proposed introducing 'fewer restrictions to the way that people are able to qualify'.
A Law Gazette report notes that in a consultation published this week on 'proposed guidance' for implementing the recommendations of the Legal Education and Training Review, the super-regulator says that despite concern at the number of individuals who fail to obtain pupillage or training contracts, 'it is very difficult to accept the argument that there are too many lawyers'. In evidence, it cites 'the levels of unmet need identified in research looking at both individual and small-business consumers'. It suggests that 'it is perhaps more likely that the market cannot sustain the number of lawyers at the current cost'. Full Law Gazette report Consultation: Guidance for Education and Training