header-logo header-logo

LNB NEWS: SRA confirms new regime for fines and publishing decisions policy

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has confirmed its proposals for changes to its fining regime and policy on publishing decisions.

Lexis®Library update: It will introduce a system of fixed penalties for lower level misconduct, with other fines based on a percentage of turnover/gross income of the firm or individual.

The SRA will also carry out a pilot on the use of personal impact statements in cases involving sexual misconduct, discrimination or harassment. These cases will usually be referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for suspension or strike-off of the individual. Fines may also be levied against firms where poor systems or controls have allowed these types of behaviour.

It has also confirmed that more information will be published on disciplinary decisions, which will remain on the public record for set periods based on the type of decision. The time periods will range from three years for warnings and fines to remaining permanently on the record for strike-off decisions.

The new fining regime is expected to come into force on 30 May 2023, subject to approval from the Legal Services Board.

More information on the SRA's updated approach can be read here.

Source: SRA confirms updated approach to fines and publishing decisions

This content was first published by LNB News / Lexis®Library, a LexisNexis® company, on 16 February 2023 and is published with permission. Further information can be found at: www.lexisnexis.co.uk.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Boies Schiller Flexner—Tim Smyth

Boies Schiller Flexner—Tim Smyth

Firm promotes London international arbitration specialist to partnership

Katten Muchin Rosenman—James Davison & Victoria Procter

Katten Muchin Rosenman—James Davison & Victoria Procter

Firm bolsters restructuring practice with senior London hires

HFW—Guy Marrison

HFW—Guy Marrison

Global aviation disputes practice boosted by London partner hire

NEWS
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
Boris Johnson’s 2019 attempt to shut down Parliament remains a constitutional cautionary tale. The move, framed as a routine exercise of the royal prerogative, was in truth an extraordinary effort to sideline Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC dissects how prorogation was wrongly assumed to be beyond judicial scrutiny, only for the Supreme Court to intervene unanimously
A construction defect claim in the Court of Appeal offers a sharp lesson in pleading discipline. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains how a catastrophically drafted schedule of loss derailed otherwise viable claims. Across the areas explored in this week's column, the message is consistent: clarity, economy and proper pleading matter more than ever
back-to-top-scroll