The Role of the Solicitor Regulation Authority

(Posted on 18/11/11)

The Solicitors Regulation Authority was put into place in early 2007 as a regulatory agency for solicitors throughout the UK. There are ore than 123,000 solicitors in the country and the goal of the agency was to provide a foundation of sorts that would first, build consumer trust and then to ensure that trust wasn’t ill-placed. It serves as an independent board so that transparency is more readily achieved.

It strives for "smarter regulation and better outcomes".

For consumers, the SRA seeks to protect the public from solicitors or law firms with less than ethical or even illegal practices. It is the governing board for the collective legal field in the country.

In October 2011, the Board put into place revamped Principles and a new Code of Conduct. It then strived to put into place "outcomes-focused, risk-based approaches" to its regulation efforts so that both clients and firms could "operate independently and with integrity". Its goal was to set forth "win-win" solutions.

Not only does it oversee solicitors throughout the UK, but it also has enforcement powers that it may use for those not holding to the Principles. It has the authority to issue warnings, impose disciplinary sanctions, including setting fines, it may control the way in which a firm or individual solicitor operates on a daily basis and it may even take action to refer a solicitor or law firm to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.

Perhaps what really sets the SRA apart is its decision to publish all of its regulatory decisions. This is a powerful tool in which consumers have access to, especially as they are seeking legal representation. The SRA may also, in some instances, recoup any fees paid to a firm that has closed its doors. It may also take possession of any legal documents so that they may be returned to the client.

These are all in place so that trust is maintained in the legal profession. We are proud to publish the latest regulatory decisions in our Solicitor.info database. We encourage not only legal firms and individual solicitors to get involved, but we also invite those who have had dealings with any of those 120,000+ solicitors to leave their feedback and ratings. It’s an easy process that can be completed anonymously and while you’re there, you may also see the latest SRA decisions. It’s a new tool we’re excited about and are certain the value it provides will be immeasurable.