Legal Services Bill [HL]

moved AmendmentNo. 1: 1: Clause 1 , page 1, line 7, at end insert— ““( ) protecting and promoting the public interest;”” The noble Lord said: It is my privilege to start on a long road by introducing the first amendment to this Bill. I am happy to say that I think I can be short in introducing it, because I said all that I want to say at Second Reading. I am concerned to ensure that the public interest stands at the forefront of the Bill. The Minister’s brief may contain words to the effect that this is all unnecessary and goes without saying, but that is not the case. It is important that we do not succumb to political correctness or modern-day fashion by putting the consumer ahead of the public interest in its widest connotations. Protecting and promoting the public interest is a lawyer’s prime duty. It sometimes means that they are, as I said at Second Reading, in conflict with the consumer, the client for whom they are acting. Nevertheless, it is a lawyer’s duty to put the public interest first. I submit to noble Lords that that should be the first principle, ahead of consumer interest, in the Bill. I beg to move.