The Courts and Legal Services Act of 1990

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The Courts and Legal Services Act of 1990

The Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 has had a positive impact on

the Legal Profession and Legal Services, it made many changes and has

led to a lot more reforms since.

The Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 was the first major change to

give solicitors full rights of audience. Solicitors already had

advocacy rights in the Magistrates' Courts and the County Courts. The

Act allowed solicitors with experience of advocacy in the Magistrates'

Courts and County Courts to apply for a certificate of advocacy.

He/She would have to take a short training course and pass exams on

the rules of evidence before the certificate was granted. It was four

years after the Act before the first certificate was granted. This

change was the start of the continuing merge between the roles of

barristers with the roles of solicitors.

The Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 opened up more opportunities

for solicitors to advance up the career ladder. Solicitors with the

advocacy certificate were eligible to be appointed as QC's and higher

judicial positions, this broke the monopoly barristers previously help

on all superior judgeships. The Act focused on qualifications relevant

for the judiciary rather than experience practicing so that Academic

lawyers who had qualified as either a solicitor or barrister but had

never practiced could be appointed as superior judges. This widened

the range of potential candidates and hopefully will make the bench a

wider mix of society.

The Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 allows solicitors to form

partnerships with other services such as accountants. Although,

because of the rules set by the Bar Council and The Law Society,

solicitors are prohibited to create a "one stop shop". So under the

Act solicitors can recommend a firm of accountants to a client but can

not set up business together.

The Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 extended the rights of

conveyancing so that banks and building societies can now practice.

This was beneficial to the consumer but had a major impact on

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