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Legal Services Bill [HL]

My Lords, I am very grateful to the noble Lord for having given me notice of his question. I have particularly in mind people who have qualified as lawyers but, say, have pursued a more corporate career and have become a company secretary or some equivalent. That company secretary will often also head up the in-house legal department. In many ways, I am trying to tempt the Minister to see that the amendments do not seek to create a huge opening in the requirements that she has laid down, but instead deal with people who are qualified but non-practising solicitors; that is, they do not hold themselves out to act on behalf of clients. Often they will not have a practising certificate, as such, but they consume legal services. Under the Bill, they would be barred from serving on the Consumer Panel. I beg to move.