Legal Services Board
LSB gives Bar Council a ticking off over staffing criticism
The Legal Services Board has given the Bar Council a slap on the wrist for the comments it made in a Legal Futures article about staffing levels at the oversight regulator.
LSB calls in the public to advise on policy
The Legal Services Board is to create a standing panel of members of the public to help develop future policies – in addition to its existing consumer panel.
LSB to check random sample of disciplinary decisions
The Legal Services Board is planning to review a “random sample” of regulators’ disciplinary decisions to ensure the right processes and procedures are in place.
Regulators “confirm commitment” to Legal Choices amid control dispute
Seven of the eight frontline regulators have “confirmed their continued commitment” to the Legal Choices website, despite the Solicitors Regulation Authority no longer wanting to run it.
LSB questions Bar regulator’s decision-making
The Legal Services Board is launching a formal review of the Bar Standards Board’s leadership and decision-making in the wake of its controversial decision to stop funding the Legal Choices website.
Covid-19 could herald reform of reserved legal activities
Changes to the list of reserved activities that only authorised lawyers can do has been floated as one way the ways legal regulation could be flexed to help the profession recover from the Covid-19 crisis.
Tax schemes “discourage investment” in legal start-ups
Government schemes to help SME companies grow by offering investors tax relief exclude legal businesses and so constrict technological innovation in the market, it has been claimed.
Bar Council calls on LSB not to recruit staff during crisis
The Bar Council has called on the Legal Services Board not to recruit more staff during the coronavirus crisis for the task of overseeing legal bodies’ internal governance.
Budget rejection lays bare Legal Ombudsman crisis
The Legal Ombudsman has hit crisis point again after it was forced to backtrack on its request for a 20% budget rise, with the Legal Services Board describing its performance as unacceptable.
MPs back Davies as new Legal Ombudsman chair
MPs on the justice select committee have endorsed the appointment of Elisabeth Davies as chair of the Office for Legal Complaints, the board that oversees the Legal Ombudsman.
Blog
A two-point plan to halve the size of the SRA
I have joked for many years that you could halve the size (and therefore cost) of the Solicitors Regulation Authority overnight by banning both client account and sole practitioners.
Key cyber and data security questions to ask a legal IT provider
One of the growing priorities that law firms face when considering a legal technology provider is cyber and data security, such as their responsibilities and cyber incident management.
Navigating carer’s leave: A personal journey and call for change
The Carer’s Leave Act 2023, which came into force on 6 April 2024, was a pivotal moment for the UK. It allows workers to take up to five unpaid days off a year to carry out caring responsibilities.
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