FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
6 February 2019
Neil Buckley to step down as LSB Chief Executive
The Legal Services Board (LSB) today announced that its Chief Executive, Neil Buckley, will be stepping down later this year.
Neil will stay in post until late summer or until a successor has been appointed.
The Board will start the process of recruiting his successor immediately.
Announcing his departure, Neil Buckley said:
“It has been a pleasure to lead the LSB over the last three and a half years. I am extremely pleased with what we have achieved as an organisation during that time, none of which would have been possible without the support of the Board and its staff, as well as the positive contributions of those who have taken the time to meet and engage with us."
The LSB’s Chair Dr Helen Phillips said:
“Neil has decided it is the right moment to stop full time work and to pursue a non-executive portfolio career as well as spending more time with his family.
“Neil has made a very significant contribution to the work of the Legal Services Board and to the development of constructive relationships with our stakeholders.
“While we seek his replacement, I’m very grateful that Neil will continue to lead the LSB in delivering its comprehensive work programme, including work on the proposed five-year policy objectives in our draft business plan 2019-20."
ENDS
For further information, please email us contactus@legalservicesboard.org.uk or call on 020 7271 0068.
Notes for editors:
- Neil joined the LSB in January 2016 as Chief Executive and as a member of its Board.
Before joining the LSB, Neil was Director of Investigations at Ofcom, where he led a team responsible for enforcing competition law and the regulatory rules that apply to the communications sector. The team was also responsible for Ofcom's dispute resolution functions. His previous roles at Ofcom included Director of Consumer Policy.
Neil qualified as a Solicitor in 1990 and worked for a number of law firms in the City of London, specialising in international private arbitration.
Neil has a Masters degree in Regulation from the London School of Economics and an undergraduate degree in law from Hertford College, Oxford University.
- The Legal Services Act 2007 (the Act) created the LSB as a new regulator with responsibility for overseeing the regulation of legal services in England and Wales. The new regulatory regime became active on 1 January 2010.
- The LSB oversees ten approved regulators, which in turn regulate individual legal practitioners. The approved regulators, designated under Part 1 of Schedule 4 of the 2007 Act, are the Law Society, the Bar Council, the Master of the Faculties, the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys, the Association of Costs Lawyers, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
In addition, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland is an approved regulator for probate activities only but does not currently authorise anyone to offer this service.
- As at 1 April 2017, the legal profession in England and Wales comprised 148,690 solicitors, 15,281 barristers, 6,809 chartered legal executives and 5,958 other individuals operating in other areas of the legal profession such as conveyancing. The UK legal sector turnover was £35 billion per annum (2017) which is up 25% in cash terms since 2012. For more information see here.