header-logo header-logo

02 December 2022 / John Gould
Issue: 8005 / Categories: Features , Profession , Regulatory , Disciplinary&grievance procedures
printer mail-detail

Codes of conduct: clarity needed?

102817
The cleaner did it! John Gould considers the rules & responsibilities which apply to non-solicitor employees of a firm
  • Every employee within a firm is a regulated person, whether or not they are personally engaged in reserved legal activity. In principle, this means that individual employees who are not legal professionals could be made subject to rules and punished for breaches.
  • While the Solicitors Regulation Authority sets out a Code of Conduct for solicitors and firms, it is not clear which rules apply to individual employees.

Legal firms employ a lot of people. According to a report by KPMG commissioned by the Law Society, in 2018 there were many more than 225,000 people employed in the ‘legal activities’ sector in the UK (‘Contribution of the UK legal services sector to the UK economy’, January 2020). Over the last four years, this number is likely to have grown. Many of these employees are not themselves lawyers, but still deal with clients and their money every day.

But what

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Charles Russell Speechlys—James Paterson

Charles Russell Speechlys—James Paterson

Charles Russell Speechlys further bolsters Private Equity expertise with the appointment of James Paterson

Ellisons—Samuel Flower

Ellisons—Samuel Flower

Ellisons strengthens Rural Affairs team with senior appointment

Sidley—Carl Hotton

Sidley—Carl Hotton

Sidley adds insurance mergers and acquisitions partner to London office

NEWS
A deputy costs judge correctly exercised his discretion to allow late service rather than strike out the point of dispute, the Court of Appeal has held
Prince Harry, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and five others have lost their case against the publisher of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline, in Various Claimants v Associated Newspapers [2026] EWHC 1637 (KB)
Public confidence in the justice system is being undermined by a lack of accessible, useable data, magistrates have warned
The Sentencing Council has launched draft guidelines for facilitation and endangering another person during a sea crossing to the UK
Government proposals to make independent written legal advice a prerequisite for workplace non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) may prove unworkable, according to a senior employment lawyer
back-to-top-scroll