This year as we at the Law Commission celebrate a milestone anniversary, we are reflecting on 60 years of reforming the law. We’re reminded just how essential our role remains in modernising the laws of England and Wales. In a world where clarity, efficiency, and adaptability are more critical than ever, we remain focused on ensuring that the law is fair, simple, modern, and cost-effective.
While we are proud of our legacy, marked by significant reforms like the Children Act 1989 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005, our focus is very much on the future. We’ve always believed that law reform must reflect existing real-world needs. That’s why our current projects are focused on making a practical difference.
Our review of commercial leases could unlock major efficiency gains, helping businesses invest, grow, and thrive. Our work on cooperative and community benefit societies is set to simplify the legal landscape for more than 7,000 co-ops across the UK - organisations with around 14 million members and a combined economic contribution of £40 billion.
Equally, our work touches people’s lives in deeply personal ways. Whether it's helping someone buy a home, care for a disabled child, manage a bereavement, make a will, or navigate divorce, we know having clear, simple laws can make a real difference to individual wellbeing. Our wide-ranging criminal law projects also help to ensure those parts of the justice system remain fair, while being up to date.
The value of law reform isn't just abstract - it's measurable. Our internal analysis of recent projects shows that for every £1 invested in our work, up to £16 in financial and social return could be delivered if our recommendations are implemented in full. The economic boost has been impressive too, potentially generating an estimated £670 million in economic and social value over ten years from our top five projects since 2019. That’s not just good policy - that’s outstanding value for money.
While the context in which we work was changed by the transition of government last year, our independence and non-political approach to selecting projects has ensured that we’ve continued our work uninterrupted. We’re proud to see several of our recommendations already enshrined in law, including major reforms on autonomous vehicles and leasehold and freehold property. We also welcomed the reintroduction and successful passage of our Arbitration Bill and the introduction of legislation on property and digital assets using special parliamentary procedures.
But our vision extends beyond traditional sectors. We’re actively developing the law in emerging areas such as digital assets, electronic trade documents, and autonomous aviation. By laying down clear and future-ready legal frameworks, we’re helping to position the UK at the forefront of tech-driven economic growth. We don’t just respond to change — we shape it and provide influential thought-leadership to the debate.
We're committed not only to delivering high-quality reforms but to continually improving how we work. This year, we began capturing anonymised data from our consultation respondents to better understand and expand our reach. We’re also finding new ways to communicate, from publications to animations, so that our work is more accessible and better understood by a broader audience.
None of this would be possible without the dedication of our people. Our teams are driven by purpose and united by a shared belief in the power of good law. Underlying this are our core values of independence, integrity and expertise. We're grateful, too, for the contributions of all of those in the legal profession, whose expertise and engagement make our recommendations more robust.
As we look to the year ahead, we’re preparing to welcome two new Law Commissioners (meaning we have all four female commissioners for the first time) and publish our 14th programme of reform. We’ll also be reviewing our funding model as part of the wider Comprehensive Spending Review to ensure we have the resources to continue delivering world-class law reform.
If you Interested in learning more about our work, connect with us at www.lawcom.gov.uk or [email protected]
Ultimately, we know that meaningful legal change doesn’t just happen. It requires insight, rigour, and a collaborative spirit. At the Law Commission, we’re proud to be playing our part.
About the authors -
Since qualifying as a solicitor, Jo Otterburn has been a Judicial Assistant in the Court of Appeal, Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the High Court and Senior Presiding Judge, and an adviser to the senior judiciary and government ministers on sensitive, challenging and innovative policies. Jo was a magistrate in South East London prior to heading the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office.
Before joining the Law Commission, Roshnee worked as a Deputy Director in HM Courts and Tribunals Service and has a track record of delivering in high profile, complex environments across Government. This includes responding to the prison crisis, delivering emergency grants and legislation to help vulnerable people during COVID-19 and supporting cross Government operational preparations for a no-deal EU Exit.