The Law Society have announced that the current practising certificate (PC) fee has been frozen for the third year in a row as regulators look to offer value for money and increase efficiency.
The fee of £278 has been charged for the past two years and has been proposed as the fair charge for 2019/20. The fee helps fund the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT), Legal Ombudsman (LeO), Legal Services Board (LSB) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCO). It also helps pay for the regulated work carried out by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
Christina Blacklaws, Law Society of England and Wales president, said:
“The Law Society is becoming ever more efficient. The PC fee has decreased by almost one fifth in real terms since April 2015, while we provide an exceptional service for our members.
“The Law Society is the independent professional body for solicitors. We are the voice of solicitors, drive excellence in the profession and safeguard the rule of law through our public interest work.
“We provide increasingly tailored services for members to facilitate practice excellence. We also champion the solicitor profession, promoting England and Wales as a global legal centre and jurisdiction of choice. Our efforts underpin a growing legal services sector worth £26 billion annually to the economy.
“By making efficiency savings across the Society, along with an increase in the number of solicitors on the roll, we are able to freeze fees while delivering greater value to members.”
Anna Bradley, Chair of the SRA, commented:
“The profession needs to be confident that the practising certificate fees offer value for money, while making sure we properly protect the public and support the rule of law. I am pleased that the practising certificate fee is set to remain level for the third year in a row, while we continue to bolster investment in key areas such as anti-money laundering.”
A consultation process is now open to discuss the fee until July 4th 2019 when the outcome will be announced at the Law Society’s Annual General Meeting.
