Collaboration among LETR regulators, but no council

The three regulators who were the prime movers behind the Legal Education and Training Review (LETR) have dismissed the suggestion of setting up a formal Legal Education Council, instead preferring to refer to their commitment to "greater collaboration".

The chairs of the Solicitors Regulation Authority, Bar Standards Board and ILEX Professional Standards - Charles Plant, Baroness Deech and Alan Kershaw, respectively - have agreed that the idea of a council, as proposed in LETR, was not something they would pursue. However, they also agreed that greater collaboration among the three regulators was imperative. This move was welcomed by Chris Kenny, CEO of the Legal Services Board, who was also of the view that a new council "was not worth pursuing".

Kershaw said: "The LETR was an excellent review that in a positive way set lots of hares running. There is a clear desire from us as regulators to work together, which is critical to maintain consumer protection and standards as old distinctions between the legal professions continue to blur and the market demands greater specialism from lawyers."