What this covers
Why you need it
Parliament created it. The power to require it comes from Legal Services Act 2007.
What the Act carries
What our graph holds for Legal Services Act 2007 as a whole — the Act behind this licence, not the licence conditions themselves.
- Duties on businesses
- 30
- Penalties
- 15
- Exemptions
- 6
Duties on businesses under the Act
- Avoid conflicts of interest and include place and date when administering oaths s.183
- Exclude private personal details when publishing regulatory advice or representations Schedule 4 para.24
- Protect individuals' private affairs when publishing advice or representations Schedule 4 para.12
- Publish advice or representations but protect individuals' private affairs Schedule 9 para.10
- Protect private affairs when publishing legal advice or representations Schedule 10 para.26
- Designate and maintain an approved Head of Legal Practice Schedule 11 para.11
… and 24 more business duties in the same Act.
What happens if you get it wrong
- Act as a solicitor without being qualified 2 years imprisonment
- Provide false or misleading information to licensing authority 2 years imprisonment
- Fail to comply with a notification duty under Schedule 13 Unlimited fine
- Corporate or partnership offence by officer or partner Unlimited fine
- Fail to notify acquisition of excess shareholding or voting rights Unlimited fine
… and 10 more penalties in the same Act.
Exemptions that may take you outside it
- Alternative business structures not covered by conveyancer privilege rules — Recognised body holds a licence under Part 5 of the Legal Services Act 2007 (alternative business structures)
- Employer exempt when employee is an exempt person — Your employee (E) is an exempt person in relation to the reserved legal activity, you only carry on that activity …
- European lawyers exempt from authorisation for reserved legal activities — You are a European lawyer within the meaning of the European Communities (Services of Lawyers) Order 1978 (as it has …
- Legal Services Board members and staff protected from personal liability — Acting in the exercise or purported exercise of Board functions, unless acting in bad faith or the action was unlawful …
- Non-ABS recognised bodies exempt from disclosing client communications — Your recognised body does not hold a licence under Part 5 of the Legal Services Act 2007 (alternative business structures)
… and 1 more exemption in the same Act.
Read our full dossier on Legal Services Act 2007
Who issues it
This one does not go to your council. It is issued by Ministry of Justice.
Where to apply
Duty, penalty and exemption labels are Guvnor’s analysis of the enabling instrument, not the instrument itself. Fees, forms and conditions are set by the issuing authority — always check the linked source.