The independent reviewer to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has handed in a mixed final report before passing the baton on to Ombudsman Services.
The Independent Complaints Resolution Service reported a drop in the number of complaints about SRA work and attributed the improvement to better communications.
However, it noted: “Complaints we have received from solicitors who are subject to disciplinary action suggest that on occasion the proportionate response taken when a member of the public reports a solicitor, is not always applied to issues of concern that arise directly between solicitors and their regulator...Moreover, the SRA’s disciplinary response can be somewhat rigid, due to current procedure, and may not have the flexibility to deal effectively with such issues in a less resource intensive manner.”
