Our annual strategy session and third full Board meeting of the year took place on 11 and 12 May 2026. The Board minutes will be published on our website in the usual way, but in the meantime, here are a few of the highlights.
Future Regulatory Arrangements: we welcomed last week’s announcements by both the SRA and CILEX that redelegation was not part of their immediate plans. We therefore looked ahead with confidence on how we can improve regulation for our community in the coming years, taking into account market changes ( eg the relative growth in Chartered Legal Executives, and decline in paralegal numbers), the opportunities and risks of new technologies, the results of our recent stakeholders perception survey, and the changing needs of consumers. We agreed on an approach which we will be setting out in the coming months, and on which we want to work in partnership with CILEX as the membership body, and other regulators.
Post Mazur Appeal Judgment: we reviewed progress on granting litigation rights. We were pleased that the numbers granted continue to increase. This is in the context of a decrease in new applications being received. We will be making an announcement on progress in the next few days. We also noted that we are continuing to meet our 11-week processing deadline for applications which clear assessment first time round. As we approach the end of the immediate post Mazur increase in applications, we agreed to the Terms of Reference of a Lessons Learned exercise which will report to our July Board. We are very keen that this should include feedback from those who applied for practice rights both following the portfolio route and through ULaw. Finally, we agreed we should publish new guidance following the recent Court of Appeal judgment and hope to do this shortly following publication of the SRA guidance.
Engagement with the Regulated Community: we reflected on the findings of the recent stakeholder perception survey. We agreed we needed to do more to engage and involve the community of those we regulate. We are planning a programme over the next few months involving webinars, in-person meetings and consultations on our future priorities.
Finance: we had an initial discussion on the CRL’s priorities for 2027 and associated budget. We received information on the impact of inflation on the level of Practising Certificate Fee (PCF) collected since 2020 as well as costs relating to the response to the original Mazur judgment , the costs of regulating unauthorized members , and the increase in levies from LSB and Legal Ombudsman. Equally the Board were mindful of the financial pressures under which all firms and individuals are working. We will now be working with CILEX to prepare a formal PCF consultation for issue in the summer.
Next Meeting: Our next Board telecon is on 18 June, and our next full meeting is on 14 July. 2026.
If you would like to know more please access our website, read our Board papers or get in touch.
