Professional services

Professional services can generally be defined as occupations requiring special training in the arts or sciences and include the services of lawyers, accountants, architects and engineers.

We use advocacy and enforcement to achieve our aims. For example, through our involvement in the Report by the Research Working Group on the Legal Services Market in Scotland we identified a number of competition restrictions that have their origin in governmental measures or the rules of professional bodies. Many of our competition concerns were addressed through negotiated solution. However, we are currently investigating a ruling by the Faculty of Advocates which prohibits advocates from appearing in court with a solicitor advocate instructed for the same client (known as the 'mixed doubles' rule). We have reasonable grounds to believe that this restriction is anti-competitive.

Under statute we also have an advisory role in relation to certain professional services (see the Courts and Legal Services Act).

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