Category: News

The Legal Services Board (LSB) has approved the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) application to make significant changes to how people qualify as solicitors in England and Wales. The changes include the introduction of a new centralised assessment, the Solicitors Qualification Examination (SQE), and a requirement for a minimum of two years’ qualifying work experience (QWE)….

Read Legal Services Board approves significant changes to how solicitors qualify

LSB directs the exemption from the requirement for LSB approval of alterations to CILEx Regulation ’s Practise Rights Handbooks  

Read [Exemption Direction 162] Exemption Direction 162 CILEx Regulation Practise Rights Handbooks [PDF]

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy’s ran a call for evidence on the recognition of professional qualifications and regulation of professions from 25 August 2020 to 23 October 2020. We submitted a response that sets out our areas of expertise and our position on regulatory reform.

Read Our response to BEIS’s call for evidence on the regulation of professions

This month’s Board meeting considered a number of substantial papers dealing with significant areas in the legal services sector. Following extensive engagement through the spring and summer with a wide range of stakeholders from across the sector, we discussed how the views and evidence we have collected is informing our “state of the legal services sector” report, which in turn will influence the strategy we are currently developing for the sector. We will…

Read October Chair’s Blog

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, we planned to hold our October 2020 Board meeting in Liverpool and to meet with local people from across the legal sector. Instead, on 19 October 2020, from 3.30 pm to 5.00 pm, we hosted an online event on the impact of Covid-19 on the legal services sector. The event was…

Read Online regional event: Liverpool and the North West, 19 October 2020

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is assessing the implementation and impact of the recommendations of its 2016 market study into the legal services sector in England and Wales. It launched a call for inputs on 9 September 2020 and invited responses from interested parties to the specific questions identified by Wednesday 30 September 2020….

Read Our response to the CMA’s review of the legal services market study

New research for the Legal Services Board (LSB) has highlighted key priorities the public say should be addressed to widen access to legal services and maintain high standards. Participants in the study said there should be a greater focus on lawyers’ competence, public legal education, and access to justice for those on low and middle…

Read Competency, awareness, and affordability top public wish list for better legal services

LSB Senior Summit Please see the presentation slides: LSB strategy summit presentation September 2020 For help registering on Hopin or logging on to our Summit, please follow our instructions here [PDF].

Read LSB Senior Summit, 24 September 2020

The Legal Services Board (LSB) today announces the appointment of Harindra Punchihewa as a new lay member of the Board of the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC). The OLC is the Board of the Legal Ombudsman and this appointment has been made by the LSB in accordance with the Legal Services Act 2007. Hari is…

Read LSB announces new appointment to the Office for Legal Complaints: Harindra Punchihewa

LSB directs the exemption from the requirement for LSB approval of alterations to the CLC’s Compensation Fund contributions for 2020/21.

Read [Exemption Direction] Exemption Direction 161 CLC Compensation Fund contributions [PDF]

The Judicial Diversity Forum (JDF) has published a statistical report that brings together data on the diversity of the judiciary, judicial appointments and from the relevant legal professions (solicitors, barristers and legal executives). In doing so it provides a picture not only of the diversity of today’s judiciary, but also of the process by which…

Read New report gives insight into diversity in the judiciary: LSB commits to driving the improvements needed

Our first meeting after the summer break focused on the development of our new strategy for the legal services sector. We began by discussing progress made to increase transparency in the legal services. We were joined by senior colleagues from the Competition and Market Authority (CMA). They outlined the three broad themes of their original…

Read September Chair’s Blog