SPATIAL-ASPECTS OF DEREGULATION IN THE MARKET FOR LEGAL-SERVICES

Since the early 1980s there has been a consistent policy of deregulating the legal profession in the UK. However, there has been little recognition that there are spatially distinct markets for legal services which may vary in their responses to policy initiatives. This paper explores the implications of solicitor advertising and of licensed conveyancers in twenty-seven geographical markets in England and Wales. Evidence is presented which suggests that certain types of advertising have the effect of reducing the level of quoted conveyancing fees, and that the removal of the solicitors' conveyancing monopoly has also had some effect on quoted fees. Possible policy implications are discussed.