Legal Services Board
LSB asks regulators to justify restrictions on in-house lawyers
Unnecessary restrictions on in-house lawyers could “impose costs and red tape, frustrate innovation and adversely affect access to justice”, the Legal Services Board has argued.
LSB: regulators making progress – but not on understanding users of legal services
The profession’s regulators are not doing enough to understand the consumers of lawyers’ services, the Legal Services Board has warned. But it said there has been progress since the first assessment in 2012/13.
SRA stays on report over ABS licensing
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to remain on report over its performance in licensing alternative business structures until it outlines how it will stop making “disproportionate” requests for information from applicants, it has emerged.
LSB to call on regulators to make law firms and chambers “accountable” over diversity
Regulators need to do more with the diversity data they now collect in order to drive improvements in recruitment and particularly progression and retention within the profession, the Legal Services Board will shortly say.
LSB approves end of “arbitrary” hours-based CPD for solicitors
The Legal Services Board has given its blessing to the end of the “arbitrary” hours-based continuous professional development scheme for solicitors.
Lord Chief Justice calls for independent review of legal market
There needs to be an independent review of the operation of the legal market to investigate whether the Legal Services Act 2007 is working and why fees have not fallen in the light of greater competition, the Lord Chief Justice said today.
Failure to undertake CPD will be “aggravating factor” in investigations, SRA warns
Failure to undertake continuous professional development will be an “aggravating factor” when enforcement decisions are made against those guilty of incompetence, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has said.
SRA to stay on report over ABS licensing
The Legal Services Board still has “concerns” about the way the Solicitors Regulation Authority approves applications for alternative business structures and will not be ending its monitoring for the time being, it has emerged.
QASA barristers in last throw of the dice with appeal to Supreme Court
Four criminal law barristers have appealed to the Supreme Court in their judicial review of the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) – despite a costs bill which already totals £215,000, Legal Futures can reveal.
LSB aims to present new government with “range of options” on future of regulation
Sir Michael Pitt, chairman of the Legal Services Board, said yesterday that he wanted to present the new government after next year’s general election with an agreed “range of options” for the future of regulation.
Blog
Is competition in the legal sector stifling innovation?
As the legal sector’s competitive landscape continues to evolve, Nobel laureates remind us that innovation is not inevitable,and that competition may not always be an incentive to innovate.
What high-performing consumer claims firms get right
Recurring concerns about parts of the volume claims sector show that the gap between well-run firms and those struggling to manage volume effectively is widening.
The SRA’s 2025 AML report: What law firms need to know
The SRA has released its 2024-25 anti-money laundering report and the scale of supervision is striking – it carried out 935 proactive engagements in the year to 5 April 2025.
