Eligibility

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Guidance (3) Glossary terms (14)

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ABSs Authorisation Sole practitioners Other authorised roles & bodies
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You are reading current version in effect from 31 December 2020

Guidance

Guidance

Can my business be authorised? - Guidance

Guidance: If your business needs to be authorised to provide legal services, or you have chosen to be authorised, this checklist provides a summary of the eligibility requirements.

Does my business need to be authorised? - Guidance

Guidance: This checklist will help you determine if your business requires authorisation.

Firm authorisation - Guidance

Guidance: If you wish to set up a business providing legal services, understand whether the business needs to be authorised by us and how this is done.

Glossary terms

licensed body

means a body licensed by the SRA under section 71(2) of the LSA in accordance with the SRA Authorisation of Firms Rules

licensable body

has the meaning given in section 72 of the LSA

manager

means:

  1. the sole principal in a recognised sole practice;
  2. a member of a LLP;
  3. a director of a company;
  4. a partner in a partnership; or
  5. in relation to any other body, a member of its governing body
authorised person
  1. subject to sub-paragraph below, means a person who is authorised by the SRA or another approved regulator to carry on a legal activity as defined under s12 of the LSA and the term "non-authorised person" shall be construed accordingly; and
  2. in the SRA Financial Services (Scope) Rules, has the meaning given in section 31 of the FSMA
recognised body

means a body recognised by the SRA under section 9 of the AJA

legal services body

has the meaning given in section 9A of the AJA

interest holder

means a person who has an interest or an indirect interest, or holds a material interest, in a body (and "indirect interest" and "interest" have the same meaning as in the LSA), and references to "holds an interest" shall be construed accordingly

legally qualified

has the meaning given in section 9A(6) of the AJA save that, for a body to meet the management and control requirements enabling it to fall within section 9A(6)(h), it must be:

  1. a recognised body;
  2. a licensed body in which lawyers are entitled to exercise, or control the exercise of more than 90 percent of the voting rights of that licensed body;
  3. an authorised non-SRA firm in which lawyers are entitled to exercise, or control the exercise of more than 90 percent of the voting rights of that authorised non-SRA firm
recognised sole practice

means the practice of a sole solicitor or REL which is recognised by the SRA under section 9 of the AJA

solicitor

means a person who has been admitted as a solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales and whose name is on the roll.

REL

means a European lawyer registered in the register of European lawyers

SRA

means the Solicitors Regulation Authority

authorised body

means:

  1. a body that has been authorised by the SRA to practise as a licensed body or a recognised body; or
  2. a sole practitioner's practice that has been authorised by the SRA as a recognised sole practice
UK

means United Kingdom, made up of: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland