Supervision & law firm management

• Explains necessity of effective supervision from a client, regulatory, financial, technical and psychological view.
• Offers advice on how to ensure supervision is effective.

Supervision is a fundamental part of law firm management. It is key to providing technical and pastoral support to our colleagues, and to ensuring that clients are protected from errors and receive a high-quality service.

Effective supervision is also a regulatory requirement. The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) guidance on how to approach supervision advocates a risk-based approach. Supervision should not be approached in a ‘one size fits all’ way. The appropriate level of supervision will differ in every case. When deciding what good supervision looks like, managers will consider the supervisee’s experience, the size of their case load and the nature of the risks inherent in the matter under scrutiny. Different levels of supervision may be necessary where the case involves judgement and therefore experience, or where the client