The government has accepted all ten recommendations of an independent review of the Legal Services Board and will carry out a comprehensive review of legal services regulation. The Ministry of Justice published its formal response on Thursday, 5 November.

A regulator that had 'lost its way'

The review was commissioned by the government in February 2026 and led by Richard Lloyd, a former executive director of Which? and chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. Published in July, it concluded that the Legal Services Board, the oversight regulator for legal services in England and Wales, had "lost its way" in recent years and needed a significant reset, with sharper priorities, stronger oversight and a clearer focus on protecting consumers. The board had last been reviewed in 2017.

What the government will do

The government says it accepts the review's conclusion that significant change is needed to strengthen the effectiveness of legal services regulation. It will undertake a comprehensive review of the regulatory framework to consider whether it remains fit for purpose in a changing legal services market. The review had recommended that a new framework be developed by 2029, with a view to implementation during the next Parliament, but the government said the scale and complexity of the work meant it could not fully commit to that timetable yet.

Reaction

Legal services minister Sarah Sackman KC said the government accepted all the review's recommendations and supported "a reset in how the regulatory system operates". The Legal Services Board itself has also accepted all ten recommendations and pledged more focused oversight of the frontline regulators. The Bar Council, which represents barristers, has said it opposes a single regulator and wants to be part of the conversation from the outset.