1. Future of Legal Services in Wales – Including Alternatives
ElizabethAshford andAlyson Houghton are solicitorswhoretrainedasCivil andCommercial
Mediators,founded Monmouthshire MediationPractice www.monmediation.co.uk and co-Chairthe
Associationof Walesand Border CountiesMediators (AWBCM)1 www.walesmediators.co.uk . They
have advisedthe WAG/SkillsforJustice steeringGroupfora MediationCentre of Excellence in
Wales2 and alsohave longstandinglinkswiththe CitizensAdvice Bureauservice.
Whetheror notone agreeswiththe conceptof a separate legal systemforWales,the needto
reviewthe existing legal systemispressing. The rapidlychanginglegallandscapepost-Jackson,
togetherwithBrexit,makesforuncertainty.Clarityandcertaintywithinthe legalsystemisbeneficial
for businessandthe community.Whatbettertime toconsiderthe optionsavailable forauser
friendlyandstable legalsystemandincorporate the bestintoWelshplans,makingWalesacentre of
excellence?
One of the growthareas isAlternativeDispute Resolution - particularlyMediation.Ourview is
Mediationmustbe firmlyonthe table inthe discussionsof future plansforthe legal sectorinWales.
Settingupa practice in a relativelyundevelopedmarketrequiredustolookafreshatthe end user’s
perceptionsof legal services. Financial andstrategicconsiderationsencourage partiestoconsider
alternativesto the courtsto resolve disputesandmediationcanoffer considerable benefits. Users
and advisers like the flexibilityof the process,costcertainty,andthe speedwithwhichamediation
can be arrangedand completed. The successrate of mediationremainshighandsatisfactionrates
reflectthis. There hasbeenamarkedincrease inCourtledreferralsouttomediationasthe
possibilityof increaseduse of ADRbringsthe prospectof lowercaseloadforthe courts and less
publicspending.
In orderto create the environmentwhere people have flexibilityof optionsandchoice withinlegal
servicesandare able to exercise it,several thingsneedtohappen:
 Inclusive regulation- the legal servicessectorneedstodemystifyitselfandadopta user
friendly transparentapproach. A startingpointforthisis the clearinclusionwithinthe legal
sectorof all typesof legal service (includingthose hithertooutside the establishedlegal
market) andcreationof one regulatorwhoisable tocover all aspectsof the legal profession.
Sir Michael Pitttalkedaboutthe proposedreplacementof the Legal ServicesBoardwitha
newregulatoroverarchingthe whole of the legal sector.We hope thatindiscussionstotake
thisforwardthe Civil MediationCouncil,Law Society,BarCouncil andCIArb will all be
stakeholders.
1
AWBCM memberships: Civil Mediation Council www.civilmediation.org ,the National Mediation Providers
Association www.nmpa.org.uk Ministry of Justicelisting www.civilmediation.justice.gov.uk
2 Steering group response:
http://www.sfjuk.com/huge-appetite-for-dispute-resolution-hub-in-wales-says-new-report/
http://www.sfjuk.com/spfp-annex/

2.  Accessibility- there needstobe clearguidance onthe availablityof servicesandadvice atan
earlystage on the optionsavailable. Huge fee increasesandcourtclosuresmeanthat
individualsandsmall tomediumsizedbusinessescanfeel cutoff fromaccessto justice.Sir
Michael Pittemphasisedthe desire forinnovationinthe legalservicesmarketandindicated
that one of the biggestproblemswasof unmetlegal need. Ourownclientfeedbackwas
echoedbyJane Malcolmwho saidthat the Solicitors’RegulatoryAuthorityhadfoundthat
SMEs consideredlegal services“hardtofindandhard to afford”. Asmediators,we workon
fixedfeesandpublishourfee scales(peggedtoanational standard) onour website. Inthis
we are inline withthe recommendationof the CompetitionandMarketsAuthority’smarket
studyof legal serviceswhere we understandthatinthe interimreportthey“lookforwardto
a time whenthere isa requirementtopublishcost”Thistransparencymakesmediation
accessible toclientsacrossall sectors. The “sharpcompetitive edge”of “significantly
cheaper”legal servicesinWalesnotedbySirMichael shouldbe promotedbut,inourview,
qualityandclientsatisfactionisequally important.
Importantpointswere raisedinthe PolicyForumbyDavidHughesaboutthe value of a local
solicitorpresence andthe existence of aphysical asopposedtoa virtual Courtin a
community.Ourexperience inspeakingtocourtstaff insome of the remainingcourtsin
Walesisof a hard workingbutoverstretchedservice withdetailedbutfragmented
knowledge of the overall processesandlittledirectclientcontact. There isindeedaneed
for accessto advice. Anyone issuingproceedingsonlineisdirectedtomediationfirst.We
are one of those listedonthe Ministryof Justice “findamediator”searchengine sofind
ourselvesthe firstportof call forthose consideringstartingaclaimonline.Legal advice and
guidance throughthe legal systemisneededastheyhave little understandingof whattheir
optionsare. There urgentlyneedstobe a joinedupprocesstoplugthisgap ininformation
and support.
 Education– hand inhand withimprovingaccessibilitythe whole communityneedstobe
bettereducatedinlegal servicessystems. We welcomethe suggestionbyRobertBourns,
Presidentof the LawSociety,thatpubliclegal educationisessential toimprovethe legal
literacyof the population.The AWBCMhas togetherwiththe WalesBranchof the CIArb
beengrateful forthe supportof Cardiff Universityinhostingeventstoeducate studentsand
practitionersasto the evolvingrole of mediationandsome of ourmembershave done
useful workinschools.
In summary,itseemsthatdespite the difficultiesthatare facedbythe legal professionitwas
encouragingtohearthat FflurJonesof DarwinGray framedthe discussionbyencouragingthose
presentto“thinkimaginatively“aboutthose challengesandfor Dr Sarah Nasonof Bangor University
to speak abouta “more egalitariancitizen-centeredfocus”with“betterlinksbetweendifferentparts
of the system”.