As Chair of CILEX Regulation since September and on the Board for a year, I have been struck by the diversity of those we regulate: 77% are female, nearly 15% have a BAME background, over two-fifths did not attend university, and of those that did well over half were the first generation to do so. In our most recent research (on our website), over 80% agreed that “without CILEX, I wouldn’t have a career in the legal profession”.

So, it is not surprising that one of our three strategic priorities is to champion fair access for all in the legal services market. To this end we will publish in the first Quarter of 2022 a new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy setting out our commitments as both employer and regulator with a clear set of actions to deliver, and a promise to report regularly on progress.

Our second strategic priority is to uphold standards whilst pursuing innovative models to improve access and minimize the regulatory burden. One of our first actions is to undertake a review of our regulatory model beginning with the way we regulate entities. In the last few months, we have taken over responsibility for over 80 probate firms previously regulated by ACCA, and also our first Alternative Business Structure. But we now want to see whether we can further develop our offering so that it provides more support for those wanting to set up business as lawyers in a more cost effective and risk-based way. We will also be looking carefully at whether we can develop an improved approach to individual supervision, following the work the LSB has been leading on ongoing competence. And together with CILEX we will look again at how most fairly to share the costs of regulation.

Our third strategic objective is about improving the information available to consumers so that more consumers feel confident in accessing legal services. To this end, we will continue our efforts to improve price transparency and the work we are doing to pilot quality indicators as well as to understand the impact technology may have on consumers. We will also seek to improve our understanding of legal protections available in the wider legal landscape, including those areas currently not regulated, and whether there is more we can do to help here.

This is a big agenda, and we cannot do it all by ourselves. So as a newcomer to legal regulation, I am very keen that we improve our partnerships with other players in the legal landscape including fellow regulators, consumer representatives, and most important those we regulate. We will therefore be stepping up our engagement with, and communication to, the profession in the coming months using our website, social media, updates by me following Board meetings, and more roundtable events. So, if you want to know more feel free to contact us.