Withdrawal of non-lawyer approval as a manager
If you are not a lawyer of England and Wales, a registered European lawyer, a registered foreign lawyer or an exempt European lawyer, approval must be obtained from us if you are to become
- a manager or owner of a recognised body,
- a manager of a body corporate which is a manager of a recognised body.
The recognised body for which you are to become a manager is responsible for obtaining approval.
We will approve you if we are satisfied you and the recognised body meet criteria specified in regulation 5 of the SRA Recognised Bodies Regulations 2011.
Following approval, we may require you to send us information or documents to assure us that you met the criteria for approval or continue to meet the criteria.
If you have not been a manager of a recognised body for two years since the date of approval, approval will discontinue. In addition, we may withdraw approval in certain cases.
Withdrawal of approval
We may withdraw approval if you
We have a duty to give you and the recognised body 28 days' notice of our decision to withdraw. We must give you our reasons.
If we consider it in the public interest, we may notify specified third parties of our decision (see regulation 19 of the SRA Recognised Bodies Regulations 2011).
We may decide to reconsider a decision made by us in specified circumstances (see regulation 18 of the SRA Recognised Bodies Regulations 2011).
You or the recognised body may appeal our decision.
Appeal of our decision to withdraw approval
You or the recognised body may appeal to us against the decision. You must do so with 28 days of receipt of notification. Your appeal must state clearly the reasons for your disagreement with our decision.
On appeal we may vary the first-instance decision. An appeal might improve or worsen the outcome from your point of view.
If you remain unhappy with the appeal decision, you may appeal to the High Court (see regulation 9.3 of the SRA Recognised Bodies Regulations 2011).
Appeal to the High Court
Before appealing to the High Court, you must first have invoked our internal appeal process. If you appeal to the High Court, the Civil Procedure Rules provide that you can appeal to the High Court within 21 days from the date of the decision, unless the decision directs a different appeal period.
On appeal, the High Court may make such order as it thinks fit as to the payment of costs.
The decision of the High Court shall be final.