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Scottish Parliament face warning over Legal Services Bill

The Legal Services (Scotland) Bill would allow banks and supermarkets to invest in and own legal practices and would allow the removal of restrictions on how solicitors organise their businesses in Scotland. Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing stated that Scottish legal firms would be operating with one hand tied behind their back if proposed reforms to the system were rejected.

Mr Ewing told the Justice Committee legal firms in England and Wales already had alternative business structures allowing one stop shops for legal services.

The bill, which was at the first stage of its parliamentary scrutiny, also proposed a new regulatory framework for the legal profession.

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