Regulation of the legal profession rarely makes headlines the way a big case does, but three developments this autumn are worth flagging for anyone tracking how solicitors and barristers are being held to account.
The SRA on AI
On 17 August 2026, the Solicitors Regulation Authority issued guidance cautioning the profession on the safe and responsible use of AI. The message is consistent with the wider regulatory mood this year: AI tools are treated as compatible with existing professional obligations, provided firms understand their limitations and keep a human accountable for the output — not as something requiring a wholesale new rulebook. That mirrors the Civil Justice Council’s own conclusion on AI in court documents (covered in our litigation update this month): existing duties, applied properly, are doing most of the work.
A hard look at PM Law
On 3 September 2026, the SRA published an independent review into its own pre-intervention handling of PM Law. Publishing a review of its own prior conduct, rather than only ever reviewing regulated firms, is a notable piece of institutional accountability worth watching for what it changes in the SRA’s early-warning processes going forward.
Budgets and priorities at the Bar
The Bar Standards Board’s 2026/27 business plan sets its budget at close to £24 million, a 12% rise on the previous year. The BSB has set out four priorities for the year: building a high-performing regulator, improving culture within the profession, shaping a well-functioning market for barristers’ services, and enabling success more broadly.
One regulator, or two?
The Legal Services Consumer Panel has renewed its call for a single independent regulator to take responsibility for authorisation, supervision, enforcement, and redress across legal services in England and Wales, rather than splitting that function between the SRA, the BSB, and the other frontline regulators. It is a long-running debate with no imminent resolution, but each year it resurfaces with a little more institutional weight behind it.
Sources: SRA news; Bar Standards Board budget rises to £24m, Law Gazette; Legal Services Consumer Panel seeks single regulator, Lawyer Monthly.
This is a summary of publicly reported developments, not legal advice. MD Tanvir Shahriar is a Bar course graduate and student member of Lincoln’s Inn; he is not a solicitor or a practising barrister and this article does not create a professional relationship.