The Legal Services Board blathers on about transparency so much the organisation must be almost see-through.

We wouldn’t know of course, as the LSB’s fondness for openness doesn’t extend to making their board meetings public.

Last week was the launch of yet another policy statement on how regulators can force firms to give more information to consumers, as it insists on calling clients. The document failed to note the numerous client surveys which show high satisfaction, instead reiterating the party line that competition is being hampered by firms being too opaque and regulators failing to hold feet to the fire.

It’s rarely fun to read through an LSB consultation, which treats words in much the same way as the late Keith Floyd treated red wine: you can never have too much. We are still reeling from the observation that ‘the pandemic has accelerated a pivot towards providers having an increased online presence’. We think that means: ‘law firms use the internet more’.

The accompanying press release proclaimed that the LSB ‘sets clear expectations’ for regulators to improve consumer information, but you wouldn’t know from reading the seven-page document. Indeed, it is hard to actually tell what these new expectations are, aside from creating a ‘culture of increased transparency, openness and accountability’.

The consultation closes in December, so there is just enough time to read it before accelerating a pivot towards the waste bin.

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