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Legal Services Bill [HL]

I do not think that I mentioned the legal profession in my reply. I certainly do not think that the interests of the legal profession should be paramount; indeed, there are many stipulations in Clause 1(1) that would qualify the paramountcy of the legal profession. My concern about public interest is about the courts and justice, which is a very distinct phenomenon from the interests of the legal profession. Members of the legal profession are advocates in front of the courts, but the courts ultimately are run, and their decisions are made, by judges in the interests of justice. That is the public interest that I think is crucial.