LSB Christmas closure – December 2021
Please note that the Legal Services Board is closed from Friday 24 December 2021 and will open again on Tuesday 4 January 2022. Best wishes for the holiday season.
News
New LSB process for regulatory changes provides greater focus on regulatory objectives
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has published new Rules and Guidance for regulators applying to alter their regulatory arrangements. They provide a greater focus on the regulatory objectives and ensure regulators consider the impact of changes on regulated persons, consumers, and stakeholders. There is also a specific emphasis on diversity and inclusion. Regulators can only alter their regulatory arrangements if the LSB has approved the changes. The new Rules and Guidance reflect the LSB’s targeted and proportionate approach…
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East of England engagement event: 29 November 2021
On Monday 29 November, the Legal Services Board hosted a virtual event for legal practitioners, academics and consumer advice groups in the East of England on the the sector-wide strategy Reshaping legal services and the challenges in the sector. Please see the presentation slides: East of England presentation, November 2021 Please see a note from…
Legal Services Board sets clear outcomes for regulators on lawyers’ ongoing competence: ‘Status quo is not best to protect the public interest’
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has launched a consultation on a draft statutory statement of policy on the outcomes regulators should pursue to ensure legal professionals have the necessary and up-to-date skills, knowledge, attributes and behaviours to provide good quality legal services. The draft statement, which follows extensive independent research and cross-sector engagement, is designed to be risk-based,…
Chair’s blog – December 2021
Our final Board meeting of the year (30 November 2021) saw the culmination of several projects focused on reshaping legal services and making a difference for consumers and society more broadly. We began by discussing our draft business plan for 2022/23, which lays out a programme of activity to address the challenges outlined in our…
LSB consults on plan to progress consumer-focused strategy in 2022/23
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has today launched a consultation on its draft business plan and budget for 2022/23 to push forward its ambition to deliver fairer outcomes, stronger confidence, and better services that meet society’s needs. The proposed activity programme builds on the work the LSB is continuing to do to address the priority…
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Price not an indicator of quality when it comes to legal expenses insurance, says LSB
The LSB is calling on the insurance industry and legal service providers to support consumers by raising awareness of legal expenses insurance, incentivise better quality products and build trust through greater transparency. Mystery shopper research has shown that consumers are not getting the information they need from insurance comparison websites, and the insurance sector need…
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LSB Chair’s speech at the Danish Consumer and Competition Authority’s conference
On 4 November 2021, our Chair Dr Helen Phillips spoke at the Danish Consumer and Competition Authority’s conference on competition in the legal profession. The event took place in Copenhagen, with Helen joining via Zoom. Helen was invited to speak about reforms to legal services regulation in England and Wales in a session about competition…
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Chair’s Blog – October 2021
Our Board met on 26 October for its penultimate meeting of the year and discussed a variety of papers that look to 2022 and develop our plans for next year. In particular, after our most recent Board meeting’s strategy session on 21 September, we followed up by exploring a proposal for the LSB to convene a sector-wide conference in 2022. The conference would be an opportunity to take stock of progress in addressing the challenges facing the sector…
Blog: Addressing SME’s legal needs through technology and collaboration
By Aisling O’Connell, Regulatory Policy Manager at the Legal Services Board Accessing legal services can be a real challenge for small to medium enterprise (SME) businesses. Many don’t recognise their issue as a legal problem. Those that are aware don’t always know where to seek advice, how long it will take to resolve the problem,…
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Research reveals market opportunity for lawtech firms to address SME’s unmet legal need
New research for LawtechUK and the Legal Services Board (LSB) has revealed a gap in the market for lawtech firms to better support small to medium businesses (SMEs) deal with legal issues and reduce their unmet need. In the qualitative study, 40 SMEs from different sectors (10 of whom had previously used lawtech) were asked…
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East of England discussion event – 29 November 2021
The Legal Services Board is hosting an online event to hear from people across the legal service professions in the East of England about the challenges and opportunities ahead and how we can collaborate to make a positive difference for consumers and society. Earlier this year, we launched Reshaping legal services – a consumer-focused strategy…