Chair’s Board update January 2022

Jonathan Rees, CILEx Regulation Chair

Our Board met on 26 January for its first meeting of 2022. The two key areas for discussion were our new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy and maintaining high regulatory standards.

Ensuring that lawyers and consumers are treated fairly, whatever their background, is at the heart of our work. I’m pleased to report that our new EDI strategy will further support our activity by ensuring aspiring lawyers can enter and progress in their profession based on merit, regardless of their circumstances or diverse characteristics. We will also be participating in a collaborative, cross-profession research project to improve access for all who use legal services. Read our new strategy here.

Towards the end of 2021, we were pleased to be identified as a top performing regulatory body by the Legal Services Board: one of only three regulators to be so identified (read the report here). In 2022 we will continue to innovate and improve on our already high standards.

Other issues consider by the Board included:

• our response to the Legal Services Board’s draft business plan and budget for 2022/23; and
• areas of responsibility for individual Board members.

Our next scheduled meeting will take place on 24 February 2022.