Ensuring professionalism and integrity, the Costs Lawyer Standards Board (CLSB) diligently regulates Costs Lawyers in England and Wales, safeguarding consumer and public interests.
The CLSB regulates Costs Lawyers in England and Wales and exists to protect the interests of consumers and the wider public.
They set the professional standards that Costs Lawyers must meet and can take action where a Costs Lawyer’s conduct falls below those standards.
The CLSB is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Association of Costs Lawyers (ACL). ACL is the profession’s representative body and it is named in the Legal Services Act 2007 as the approved regulator of the Costs Lawyer profession. However, as a representative body, it must delegate its regulatory functions to another organisation. It has therefore delegated its regulatory functions to the CLSB.
Despite being a subsidiary of ACL, the CLSB operates entirely independently of ACL and ACL does not interfere with the CLSB’s regulatory activities. The CLSB is responsible for establishing its own budget, strategy, governance structures and regulatory arrangements.
If you believe you have a complaint against your Costs Lawyer you should first raise it through their complaints procedure. Under rules issued by the Costs Lawyer Standards Board (CLSB), a Costs Lawyer is afforded eight weeks to resolve any complaint. If a complaint is not resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant in that period, the complainant may then, after expiry of the eight week period, refer it to the CLSB (for conduct complaints) or the Legal Ombudsman (for service complaints).
The code of conduct and practising rules applicable to a Costs Lawyer regulated by the CLSB can be located on the CLSB website.
If you have any doubt about the jurisdiction of a complaint or procedure the CLSB will be happy to assist.
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Association of Costs Lawyers, Inspire House, 1 Vinces Road, Norfolk IP22 4HQ
