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11 February 2026
Issue: 8149 / Categories: Legal News , Regulatory , Legal services , Consumer
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Legal Services Board under the microscope

The ‘statutory remit’ of super-regulator the Legal Services Board (LSB) is to come under scrutiny in a government review

The review, launched by justice minister Sarah Sackman this week and due to report in the summer, will also consider the LSB’s ability to deliver its remit, its ‘strategic clarity’, governance and accountability arrangements. It will be led by Richard Lloyd, chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

Law Society chief executive officer Ian Jeffery said: ‘It is an opportunity to speak up for proportionate risk-based regulation that protects consumers and helps the legal sector grow.’

Last month, the LSB, which oversees legal regulators, criticised the response of regulators to Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) as ‘varied in clarity and level of detail’. The case prompted confusion about the extent of litigation work that can be carried out by non-solicitors.

Sackman said: ‘We must ensure that the current regulatory oversight arrangements are effective and do not duplicate frontline regulators’ work and initiatives.’

Issue: 8149 / Categories: Legal News , Regulatory , Legal services , Consumer
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Ward Hadaway—Nicola Williams

Ward Hadaway—Nicola Williams

Specialist tax expertise expands with partner appointment

Howard Kennedy—Caroline Urban

Howard Kennedy—Caroline Urban

Firm strengthens corporate and capital raising specialism with partner hire

Payne Hicks Beach—Lucas Moore

Payne Hicks Beach—Lucas Moore

Commercial disputes partner succeeds Robert Brodrick as chair of management board

NEWS
Cheshire West, which established an ‘acid test’ for deprivation of liberty safeguards, has been overturned by the Supreme Court
The Chancery Division and other segments of the High Court are to be replaced by a new Business and Property Division (BPD), in a major civil justice shakeup
Law firms that hold client money will need to file annual accountants’ reports and make a declaration, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) confirmed this week
Two district judges and a tribunal judge have been sanctioned for delays in delivering judgments and orders
Private equity (PE) investment into UK law firms halved to £250m last year, but deal volume rose, according to research by Acquira Professional Services’ Momentum private equity market tracker
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