Legal Services Board Joins UK Gov AI Growth Lab

The latest from the LSB who have decided to get involved in the UK Govt regulation process;

The Legal Services Board (LSB) is playing a key role in the government’s newly launched AI Growth Lab, an important step in further promoting regulation that harnesses AI’s benefits for consumers and drives economic growth.

The Lab gives AI companies the opportunity to test products and services in the real-world under supervised conditions before bringing them to market, with regulators providing practical guidance on how existing rules apply. This ‘advisory sandbox’ offers legal services providers and innovators greater confidence to innovate quickly, without needing changes to any legal or regulatory requirements. Participation does not constitute regulatory approval, endorsement or authorisation. Following testing, the LSB and the regulators it oversees will consider what regulatory changes, if any, may be needed to further support innovation and growth, while ensuring consumers remain protected.

The announcement is being made on 8 June 2026 at the government’s AI Adoption Summit, part of London Tech Week, which was established to bring together business leaders and AI champions to accelerate AI adoption across the economy.

Effective, targeted regulation plays a vital role in unlocking that potential, giving businesses the clarity they need to innovate while maintaining the strong consumer protections that underpin public trust in legal services. The Lab builds on the LSB’s existing work to set clear expectations for how technology can improve access to legal services. The LSB will work alongside the regulators it oversees, including the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Information Commissioner’s Office, to help firms navigate practical questions around client confidentiality, data protection, explainability and the safe use of AI.

Applications for AI innovators, including LawTech companies, legal services providers and conveyancing firms, will open later this summer.

Richard Orpin, Chief Executive of the Legal Services Board, said:

“The AI Growth Lab is a pragmatic and timely initiative to accelerate the responsible adoption of AI in legal services. By bringing regulators and industry together, the Lab can provide further clarity and confidence that legal services providers and innovators need to innovate safely and quickly, driving growth in the sector.

“As oversight regulator, we are committed to fostering a pro-innovation regulatory environment. We will continue working with our partners to ensure the Lab enables effective approaches that help legal services work better for the public, including through lower costs, greater access to justice, improved user experience, and greater confidence in services, thereby supporting economic growth.

“Our research shows that consumers are open to the benefits of AI in legal services, but that trust depends on strong safeguards, transparency and accountability. The Lab provides a practical way to apply these insights in real settings to support and enable safe innovation.”