The statement sets the board’s expectations from front-line regulators
The UK Legal Services Board has released a statement of policy regarding diversity efforts in the legal profession, reported the Law Society Gazette.
In particular, the statement outlines the board’s expectations from front-line regulators. It set out four expected outcomes:
- Regulators will drive diversity in the profession through strategic, evidence-based, and collaborative actions
- Regulators will ensure that diversity efforts are not undermined by regulatory approaches, processes, and decision-making
- Regulators will back fair, flexible, and accessible pathways to, in, and back to the profession
- Regulators will implement frameworks supporting authorities in maintaining professional conduct, behaviors, and competencies driving diversity
The LSB’s statement of policy lays out “enhanced expectations” as well; for instance, regulators must consider releasing the results of qualifying courses and exams which are not aggregated according to relevant diversity characteristics.
“A diverse profession helps to build public trust, improves outcomes for consumers, and supports innovation and growth. However, progress has been slow and uneven,” said Richard Orpin, the LSB’s interim chief executive, in a statement published by the Gazette. “Our proposals build on extensive research and engagement, including insights from lived experience, data analysis, and dialogue with professionals and other groups across the sector. They provide clear expectations for regulators and are designed to support meaningful, measurable change.”
The board noted that while 62 percent of solicitors were women, just 32 percent of equity partners were. Men were also more likely to appointed conveyancing managers despite being considerably underrepresented in the sector.
A review of regulators’ diversity data monitoring practices revealed data gaps, low response rates for certain disciplines, and discrepancies in collecting timing and diversity characteristics. Moreover, the national benchmarks used were inconsistent, and some regulators incorporated statistics on unregulated populations into their overall data.
The LSB’s statement of policy replaces guidance released in 2017. The board ends the consultation period on March 2, 2026.
