The government has launched a review of the Legal Services Board (LSB) to test whether current oversight of the legal profession remains effective and avoids duplicating the work of frontline regulators. Sarah Sackman, minister of state for justice, announced the review in a written statement on Tuesday. The statement said the exercise aims to examine whether the existing regulatory arrangements meet their objectives and do not replicate the initiatives of bodies that directly regulate solicitors, barristers, and other legal professionals. “It is best practice for departments to regularly review […]” the minister wrote, signalling that the review forms part of routine scrutiny of public bodies. No changes to current rules or duties were announced.
The government’s move focuses on the LSB’s role as the oversight regulator for legal services in England and Wales. The Ministry of Justice sponsors the LSB as an arm’s?length body under the Legal Services Act 2007. Frontline regulators, including the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board, continue to carry out day?to?day regulation.
Scope and purpose of the government review
The written statement sets out two core aims: to assess the effectiveness of the current regulatory arrangements for legal services, and to ensure the LSB’s oversight role does not duplicate the work of frontline regulators. The government framed the review as a routine check on the structure and performance of an arm’s?length body. It did not indicate any change to the LSB’s statutory functions or to the powers of frontline regulators.
The statement referred to departmental best practice in reviewing public bodies. Reviews of this kind typically consider governance, clarity of roles, efficiency, and how well a body meets its statutory objectives. The government did not publish detailed terms of reference alongside the announcement. The LSB, the Ministry of Justice, and the frontline regulators all remain in place as normal while the review proceeds.
The Legal Services Board’s statutory role
Parliament created the LSB through the Legal Services Act 2007 as the oversight regulator for the legal sector in England and Wales. The LSB does not regulate individual lawyers. Instead, it oversees “approved regulators” and their regulatory arms, which carry out frontline supervision of the profession. The LSB’s duties include monitoring regulatory performance, approving changes to regulatory rules, and promoting the Act’s objectives.
Those statutory objectives include protecting and promoting the public interest, protecting and promoting the interests of consumers, supporting the rule of law, improving access to justice, promoting competition, and encouraging an independent, strong, diverse, and effective legal profession. The objectives also include increasing public understanding of citizen’s legal rights and duties, and maintaining professional principles. The LSB assesses regulatory activity in light of these aims.
What “frontline regulators” do
Frontline regulators handle licensing, conduct rules, supervision, and discipline for the professionals they oversee. Examples include the Solicitors Regulation Authority for solicitors and law firms, and the Bar Standards Board for barristers. Other approved regulators cover Chartered Legal Executives, licensed conveyancers, patent and trade mark attorneys, notaries, and costs lawyers. These bodies admit practitioners, enforce standards, and take action on misconduct.
The LSB oversees those arrangements rather than duplicating them. It checks whether frontline regulators act in line with the statutory objectives and with principles such as independence from representative functions. The concern about “duplication” in the government’s statement refers to avoiding overlap between the oversight body’s work and the tasks assigned in law to frontline regulators.
Accountability and funding framework
The Ministry of Justice sponsors the LSB as an arm’s?length body. That means the LSB operates independently within a statutory framework while remaining accountable to ministers and Parliament for its use of public money and performance against its objectives. The LSB is funded through a levy on the legal services sector, which it collects from approved regulators under the Legal Services Act.
The LSB reports on its activities in annual reports and accounts, which are laid before Parliament. It also sets out its strategic objectives in periodic plans. These documents explain how the oversight regulator intends to exercise its functions and how it prioritises work across the sector. The government’s review will sit alongside these established accountability mechanisms.
How government reviews of public bodies work
Departments regularly review arm’s?length bodies to consider whether they remain the right vehicle for delivering statutory functions and whether they perform efficiently. Such reviews often look at governance, clarity of remit, and performance against objectives. They may consult stakeholders, benchmark against Cabinet Office guidance, and recommend improvements to processes or reporting.
The written statement did not set a timetable or outline consultation steps. In legal terms, the review does not alter the LSB’s statutory basis. Any change to the LSB’s powers or the structure set out in the Legal Services Act 2007 would require new legislation by Parliament. Administrative changes within the existing framework would remain for the Ministry of Justice and the LSB to implement in line with their legal duties.
Sector context and areas likely to draw attention
While the government did not list specific topics for examination, areas that commonly feature in oversight reviews include the clarity of roles between the oversight regulator and frontline regulators, the handling of rule approvals, and the way performance is assessed. In the legal sector, independence from representative interests, consumer protection, access to justice, and market competition are long?standing statutory themes.
Approved regulators, consumer groups, and professional bodies typically take an interest in reviews of this type. Frontline regulators maintain their current responsibilities for practitioner standards, licensing, and enforcement. The LSB continues to oversee and challenge those bodies within the legal framework set by Parliament.
Immediate status of regulatory duties
The announcement does not change legal duties for legal professionals or for frontline regulators. Practitioners must continue to comply with the rules set by their frontline regulator, and firms must meet existing regulatory and consumer protection obligations. Frontline regulators keep their enforcement and supervisory roles. The LSB maintains its oversight and approval functions.
Any findings from the review would follow the process set out by the Ministry of Justice. If the department proposes administrative changes within the current statutory framework, it would set out how those will take effect. If the government sought to change the framework created by the Legal Services Act 2007, it would need to bring forward legislation for Parliament to consider.
What this means
- The Ministry of Justice has begun a review of the LSB to check effectiveness and avoid duplication with frontline regulators.
- No immediate legal or regulatory changes arise from the announcement.
- The LSB, the SRA, the BSB, and other approved regulators continue to exercise their current functions.
- Any alteration to the statutory framework would require legislation. Any administrative adjustments within that framework would need to be made by the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Services Board in line with existing statutory powers and governance requirements. Until any conclusions are published and acted upon, the current oversight and frontline regulatory structure for legal services in England and Wales remains unchanged.
When and where it happened: The review was announced in a written statement on Tuesday, 10 February 2026.
