header-logo header-logo

Keep out!

03 March 2016 / Mickaela Fox , Mickaela Fox
Issue: 7689 / Categories: Opinion
printer mail-detail
001_nlj_7689_comment

Should the SRA be allowed to police the private lives of the individuals it regulates? Mickaela Fox & Russell Behn share their reservations

Last summer, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) launched one of its largest ever public consultations—A Question of Trust—which is aimed at “giving everybody the chance to have their say about action taken against those solicitors who fall short of the expected standard”.

Ultimately, its objective is to improve compliance and the feedback will form part of the development of a future SRA reference framework, aimed at improving clarity, consistency and proportionality in decision making.

The framework itself has already come in for criticism from various sources including the Law Society which has expressed concern about attempting to “categorise all misconduct at the expense of consideration of individual circumstances”.

The consultation closed on 31 January 2016, with over 2,000 online responses and 3,000 event attendees. It will be reporting on the outcomes in early summer. Among other things, lawyers and the public were invited to share their views on whether or not the

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

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
back-to-top-scroll