Closed consultations 2023/2024


Consultation on First Tier Complaints

We conducted a consultation on First Tier Complaints –consultation document on first tier complaints with annexes (pdf)

The consultation ran from 24 August to 17 November 2023

Read our response to the consultation (pdf)

Read our new Requirements on First Tier complaints (pdf)

Read our guidance on First Tier complaints (pdf)

Read our Statement of Policy on First Tier complaints (pdf)

We received responses to the consultation from 17 organisations:


Consultation on technology and innovation guidance to improve access to legal services

We conducted a consultation on our draft statutory guidance on promoting technology and innovation to improve access to legal services (pdf).

The consultation ran from 10 July 2023 to 5.00pm on 2 October 2023.

Read our response to the consultation (pdf).

Read our final guidance on technology and innovation (pdf)

We received responses to the consultation from 13 organisations:


Consultation on draft business plan and budget for 2024/25 

We held a consultation on our draft business plan and budget for 2024/25 (PDF) focused on ensuring regulation continues to play its part in delivering a legal services market that better meets society’s needs.

We hosted an online consultation event to discuss the draft business plan and budget in more detail. Read the summary of this event and discussion.

The consultation period ran from 12 December 2023 to 5.00pm on Monday 12 February 2024.

Read our response to the consultation.

We received 14 responses to the consultation:


Call for evidence on the misuse of NDAs and the role of lawyers

We launched a call for evidence on the role that lawyers’ conduct can play in the misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and how regulation might help address it by supporting lawyers to better meet their professional ethical obligations.

The call for evidence (pdf) ran from 2 May 2023 to 14 July 2023.


Consultation on draft new measures to ensure that people who use legal services have access to fair and effective complaint procedures

We consulted  on proposals to ensure that people who use legal services have access to fair and effective complaint procedures (PDF). The consultation is focused on so-called ‘first-tier complaints’, which are made directly to a legal services provider when a consumer is dissatisfied with the quality of the service provided.

The consultation period ran from 24 August 2023 to 17 November 2023.