SRA Handbook

The roll and information

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Version 8 of the Handbook was published on 01/10/2013. For more information, please click 'History' Above

Part 1: The roll and information

Regulation 1: The roll

1.1

The SRA shall continue to keep a list of all solicitors of the Senior Courts of England and Wales, called "the roll".

Regulation 2: Mode of keeping the roll

2.1

The roll will be kept in electronic form.

Regulation 3: Content of the roll

3.1

In respect of entries made or altered as from 6 October 2011, the roll must contain, in respect of each solicitor, the following information:

(a)

full name, including title;

(b)

date of birth;

(c)

registration number;

(d)

date of admission;

(e)

principal place of business in the case of a practising solicitor;

(f)

address for correspondence in the case of a non-practising solicitor;

(g)

a note about any suspension of the solicitor from practice, or suspension of the solicitor's practising certificate, or suspension of the solicitor from practice as a sole practitioner, or suspension of the solicitor's authorisation as a recognised sole practitioner, or the termination of any such suspension;

(h)

a note of any order of the Tribunal under section 47 of the SA in respect of the solicitor (or former solicitor), and a note of any order of the High Court or the Court of Appeal striking the solicitor off the roll; and

(i)

any other reasonable information, necessary for carrying out the SRA's statutory objectives, from time to time prescribed by the SRA.

Guidance note

(i)

Because sole practitioners are not authorised by means of endorsement on their practising certificate after 31 March 2012 or the date on which an order made pursuant to section 69 of the Legal Services Act 2007 relating to the status of sole practitioners comes into force, whichever is the later, the roll shows only suspensions of authorisation occurring up to that date. For information on sole practitioner firms after that please refer to the register of authorised bodies (see rule 34 of the SRA Authorisation Rules).

Regulation 4: Public access to information

4.1

Entries on the roll under regulation 3.1 (a), (c), (d), (e), (g) and (h) must be available for inspection by any member of the public during office hours without charge, except that the SRA may in exceptional circumstances, and if it considers that to do so would be in the public interest, withhold the address of a solicitor's principal place of business.

4.2

The date on which a solicitor's name was

(a)

removed from or

(b)

struck off

the roll must be made available to a member of the public on request.

Regulation 5: Address for correspondence

5.1

When the SRA writes to any person under these regulations it shall write to the solicitor's last notified address.

Regulation 6: Annual enquiry

6.1

The SRA shall once a year ask every solicitor without a practising certificate whether the solicitor wishes his or her name to remain on the roll.