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16 November 2012 / Andrew Garbutt
Issue: 7538 / Categories: Features , Training & education , Profession
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Compliance is key

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Engagement with COLPs & COFAs will reap benefits for law firms says Andrew Garbutt

Firms who co-operate and actively engage with their regulator will reap the benefits, says the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority (SRA). A year on from the introduction of outcomes-focused regulation (OFR), the SRA is stressing the importance of firms creating a firm-wide culture of compliance. Key to making the relationship work will be the SRA’s liaison with the nominated compliance officers for legal practice (COLPs) and compliance officers for finance and administration (COFAs).

While the majority of firms met the SRA’s nomination deadline of 31 July and many more responded to chase-up letters and constructive engagement, there still remain a few hundred who have yet to complete the process.

COLPs & COFAs Conference

Speaking at the COLPs and COFAs Conference in Holborn Bars on 18 October, SRA executive director Samantha Barrass reported on the benefits of co-operation and proactive engagement between the SRA and the regulated community. The SRA is on target to approve nominations by the end

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Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
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A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
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Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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