Law firm Ward Hadaway’s Leeds office hosts historic meeting

Law firm Ward Hadaway played host to a historic meeting in Leeds for the national governing body for all legal services in England and Wales.

The Legal Services Board (LSB), an independent body which is responsible for overseeing all legal regulators across the country, held a board meeting at the Leeds office of Ward Hadaway, the first time that it has convened in an English city outside London.

Created by the the Legal Services Act 2007, the Legal Services Board aims to ensure that regulation in the legal services sector is carried out in the public interest; and that the interests of consumers are placed at the centre of the system.

Members of the Legal Services Board had gathered in Leeds for a joint event with the Legal Ombudsman and the Legal Services Consumer Panel to discuss the future regulation of the legal profession with stakeholders.

The Board was invited to hold its board meeting at Ward Hadaway by Philip Jordan, Partner in the law firm’s Commercial team in Leeds.

Philip, who is the immediate Past President of Leeds Law Society, said: “It was a real privilege to be able to host the first board meeting of the Legal Services Board outside of London.

“The Board is one of the key organisations responsible for the way that the legal profession is regulated and run so to be able to help with its activities was really useful.

“It is also very encouraging to see the Legal Services Board’s willingness to look at how the profession operates outside London – we hope to see this continue over the next few years as the legal services sector deals with the many changes and challenges on the horizon.”

In a letter to the firm, the chairman of the Legal Services Board, Sir Michael Pitt, thanked Ward Hadaway for its hospitality and said that the Board had found the visit a rewarding one.

The letter stated: “We found the whole trip highly insightful and rewarding and we look forward to continuing to engage fruitfully with the legal sector within Leeds and surrounding areas.”