Law Society Practice Note: Consumer Contracts Regulations

The Law Society have published a practice note relating to the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (the “Regulations”) which come into force on 13 June 2014.

As the practice note succinctly puts it:

[The Regulations] regulate most contracts made between a "trader" and a "consumer".

The regulations are likely to apply to a wide range of contracts made between solicitors (as traders) and their clients (as consumers). Whether they apply will depend on the nature of the client and the circumstances in which the contract was made.

This practice note explains when the regulations will apply to contracts between solicitors and their clients, and explains the consequences.

Commercial lawyers have doubtless been busy during the last few months, prepping and advising clients on the impact that the forthcoming Regulations will bring. However, some of those who specialise in other areas might not have spotted the fact the Regulations can apply to the solicitor–client relationship -- meaning they need to sit up and pay attention to this stuff, too.

It just goes to show: the Law Society can be useful sometimes.