Solicitors who “blow the whistle” on misconduct could be given more lenient sanctions, under Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) plans
The SRA’s compliance committee is to recommend to the SRA board that it consult on a whistleblowing policy, under which solicitors would be offered leniency if they stepped forward to disclose wrongdoing and, if necessary, act as a witness in any court or tribunal hearing.
David Middleton, SRA director for legal and enforcement, said: “We estimate that a handful of cases every year might benefit if potential witnesses who may have been involved in some wrongdoing could come forward and be offered leniency as part of a co-operation agreement.
“Respondents to investigations are already aware that the early correction of problems and co-operating generally with us can significantly mitigate any failures on their part.”
When the Financial Services Authority (FSA) introduced a similar leniency scheme it reported that calls to its dedicated whistle-blowing line doubled between 2007 and 2009. The FSA’s director of enforcement said the leniency scheme had been “used to good effect”. The Office of Fair Trading carries a promise of similar incentive on its website.
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