What we do

The LSB is a new organisation established under the Legal Services Act 2007 to be the single independent oversight regulator of the legal profession and sector in England and Wales. Working with the Approved Regulators, we are responsible for ensuring the highest standards of competence, conduct and service in the legal profession both for the benefit of individual consumers and the public generally. We are also responsible for appointing the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC), to administer an ombudsman scheme to deal with consumers’ complaints about legal services.

The legal profession currently consists of some 16,000 barristers, 112,000 solicitors and 12,000 individuals operating in other aspects of the legal profession such as conveyancing. The sector is currently valued at £25.97 billion per annum (total turnover in 2008).