Targeted reviews

Conduct of litigation

Published 29 October 2025:

On 13 October 2025, we announced our intention to initiate a review into how approved regulators and regulatory bodies ensured that information and guidance provided to the profession on conducting litigation was accurate and reliable. In light of the High Court’s decision in Mazur relating to the conduct of litigation and the discussion it has prompted across parts of the legal sector, previous advice and guidance issued by both approved regulators and regulatory bodies has come under close scrutiny. We consider it appropriate to review such advice and guidance on this matter to establish whether there has been an adverse impact on the regulatory objectives arising from such advice and guidance.

Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)

Published 16 October 2025:

On 16 October 2025, the LSB published the Carson McDowell report of the independent review of the SRA’s regulation of SSB Group Ltd. 

On 16 October 2025, the LSB also announced that it was initiating enforcement actions against the SRA. 

 

Published 23 December 2024:

On 12 April 2024, we announced an independent review of the SRA’s regulatory actions in the lead-up to the collapse of SSB Group. We confirmed that we add this review to the below mentioned scope of our review into regulatory events prior to SRA’s intervention into Axiom Ince.

The scope of the SSB review was revised and the SRA informed in a letter dated 5 December 2024, following the report into the regulatory events leading up to the SRA’s intervention into Axiom Ince.

Bar Standards Board (BSB)

Published 31 July 2025:

On 1 May 2025, our Board decided to progress informal enforcement against the Bar Standards Board (BSB) in the form of voluntary undertakings regarding performance targets and monitoring for the implementation of its Reform Programme, and for improvements in its performance against its KPIs, to address the concerns that we identified through our Regulatory Performance Assessment. 

On 31 July 2025, we published the voluntary undertakings given by the BSB:

Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)

Published 4 July 2025:

On 27 May 2025 the Board gave notice of its decision to give Directions under section 32 Legal Services Act 2007 to the Law Society as the approved regulator in respect of the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA). This enforcement action is in respect of the SRA’s acts and omissions in discharging its regulatory functions in connection with the findings of the Axiom Ince review report. On 4 July 2025 the SRA provided its implementation plan detailing the steps it will take to comply with the Directions:

 

Published 29 May 2025:

In a decision notice dated 27 May 2025, we imposed a sanction on the SRA in the form of Directions given under section 32 of the Legal Services Act 2007.

Representations made by the SRA, regulatory body, and the Law Society (TLS), approved regulator, on the advice from all statutory consultees and comments on revised proposed Directions:

Advice given by persons listed in paragraph 3(2), Schedule 7, Legal Services Act 2007 (“statutory consultees”) on the Warning Notice and representations on them made by the SRA and TLS:

Representations made by the SRA, regulatory body, and TLS, approved regulator, on the Warning Notice and proposed Directions:

Warning Notice and proposed Directions:

 

Published 23 December 2024:

On 19 December 2023, we confirmed our intention to undertake an independent review of regulatory events leading up to the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s intervention into Axiom Ince.

Faculty Office (FO)

Published September 2021:

We recently completed a targeted review (PDF) of the FO’s performance under the Well-led standard of the Regulatory Performance Assessment Framework. The performance framework provides for a more in-depth review when our ongoing monitoring identifies that we do not have sufficient assurance about an area of a regulator’s performance or identifies an area as one of concern.

Below is a revised chart showing our latest assessment of the FO’s performance against each outcome, following our review. The performance assessment (PDF) is available here.

Link to findings report (PDF).

Link to performance assessment (PDF).

Link to FO action plan (PDF).

Bar Standards Board (BSB)

Published July 2021:

We recently completed a targeted review (PDF) of the BSB’s performance under the Well-led standard of the Regulatory Performance Assessment Framework. The performance framework provides for a more in-depth review when our ongoing monitoring identifies that we do not have sufficient assurance about an area of a regulator’s performance or identifies an area as one of concern.

Below is a revised chart showing our latest assessment of the BSB’s performance against each outcome, following our review. The performance assessment is available here (PDF).

Link to findings report (PDF).

Link to performance assessment (PDF).

Link to BSB action plan (PDF).