The legal profession should continue to regulate itself, rather than being regulated by government, according to a study presented to the Dublin Economic Workshop annual economic policy conference.
The study, prepared by Pat Massey and Frank Stephen of Manchester University, was a response to the Competition Authority's recently published preliminary report on the legal profession. The authority has criticised the control of training, which it said limited entry and competition.
Presenting the paper Mr Massey, a former head of the Competition Authority, supported the call for a reform of educational practices in the legal profession. But he said that the proposal to establish a Legal Services Commission could lead to anti-competitive practices.
"Regulators suffer from a lack of information and are prone to be misled by those they regulate. Regulators are not disinterested agents who act only in the public interest, regulators pursue their own interests too", said Mr Massey. But Mr Massey said that in future the Bar Council and Law Society should have to obtain the views of the Competition Authority regarding any proposed rule changes.
Mr Jerry Carroll, director of the Bar Council, said that the council will soon submit to its members proposals to benefit consumers. These will include new proposals to regulate discipline and develop new standards for advertising.
