Legal Services Act - update on our work
Last updated 1 July 2009
The legislative changes and the changes to our rules and regulations which brought in legal disciplinary practices and firm-based regulation came into force on 31 March. Additional changes took effect on 1 July allowing sole practitioners to be included in firm based regulation as recognised sole practitioners.
The application forms and notes for solicitors and registered European lawyers to apply for approval to practice as a recognised sole practitioner, for new firms to apply for recognition and for firms to apply for approval of non-lawyer managers are available. You can see the amended Solicitors' Code of Conduct 2007 and SRA Recognised Bodies Regulations 2009, and you can also use our new change-tracking tool to identify the various changes to the Code and the guidance notes to the Code. The SRA Practising Regulations 2009, which are a new set of regulations, came into force on 1 July and are also available.
The amended Solicitors' Accounts Rules 1998 can also be viewed using our change-tracking tool. The other rules that were amended on 31 March 2009 are the Solicitors' Financial Services (Scope) Rules 2009, the Solicitors' Indemnity Insurance Rules 2008, the Solicitors' Indemnity Rules 2007 and the Solicitors' Compensation Fund Rules 2009, which can all be viewed in their final amended form.
There are new duties in the Code for employees which employees should know about. We have issued some guidance which also highlights the steps that firms will need to take.
We are working in consultation with others, including the Legal Services Board on designing a regulatory framework for alternative business structures and have published a strategic policy paper and we would value your views and comments on this—to stay up to date on all our consultations please keep an eye on our website and/or subscribe to SRA consultation alerts. In the meantime, our guidance on preparing for alternative business structures may be useful.
If you'd like to tell us about any related issues, please email LSA@sra.org.uk.