Commentary on Sections Part 2 – Regulation of Licensed Legal Services Licensing rules Section 14 – Licensing rules: generalSection 15 – Initial considerations
43.Sections 14 and 15 give details about what the licensing rules that are to be contained in an approved regulator’s regulatory scheme, cover. Licensing rules cover areas such as the procedure and requirements involved in making an application to become a licensed provider (including fees payable to the approved regulator).
44.The general approach of the Act is to set out a broad framework and allow approved regulators the flexibility to devise an appropriate set of rules as best fits the services being regulated and which follows best regulatory practice. However, in some instances the Act requires certain mandatory provisions to be contained in the licensing rules. The rules must include provision for consultation with the OFT (see section 15(1)(a) and (2)) where there may be an effect of preventing or restricting or distorting competition within the legal services market, and must set out how the regulator would deal with an application where it believes there would be a material and adverse effect on the provision of legal services (section 15(1)(b)).