SRA Principles

Introduction

The SRA Principles comprise the fundamental tenets of ethical behaviour that we expect all those that we regulate to uphold. This includes all individuals we authorise to provide legal services (solicitors, RELs and RFLs), as well as authorised firms and their managers and employees. For licensed bodies, these apply to those individuals, and the part of the body (where applicable), involved in delivering the services we regulate in accordance with the terms of your licence.

Should the Principles come into conflict, those which safeguard the wider public interest (such as the rule of law, and public confidence in a trustworthy solicitors' profession and a safe and effective market for regulated legal services) take precedence over an individual client's interests. You should, where relevant, inform your client of the circumstances in which your duty to the Court and other professional obligations will outweigh your duty to them.

The Principles and Codes are underpinned by our Enforcement Strategy, which explains in more detail our approach to taking regulatory action in the public interest.

This introduction does not form part of the SRA Principles.

The principles are as follows:

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Supplemental notes

Made by the SRA Board on 30 May 2018.

Made under section 31 of the Solicitors Act 1974, section 9 of the Administration of Justice Act 1985 and section 83 of the Legal Services Act 2007.

SRA Principles

You are reading current version in effect from 25 November 2019
Guidance (8)

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You are reading current version in effect from 25 November 2019

Guidance

Guidance

SRA Principle 2 - public trust and confidence - Case study

Case study: Behaviour within or outside practice which undermines public confidence damages not only any individual involved but also the ability of the legal profession as whole to serve society.

Public trust and confidence

To explain when you are likely to be found to have breached your obligation under SRA Principle 2 to act in a way that upholds public trust and confidence.

Acting with integrity

To explain the requirement to act with integrity in SRA Principle 5.

Acting with honesty

This guidance is to help you understand your obligations and how to comply with them. We may have regard to it when exercising our regulatory functions.

Conflicts of interest

To help you to understand your obligations in relation to conflicts.

Confidentiality of client information

To help you to understand your SRA obligations in relation to keeping clients' information confidential.

Guidance on the SRAs approach to equality, diversity and inclusion

To help you understand your obligations on equality, diversity and inclusion

Topic guide: A guide to the application of Principle 1

This guidance sets out examples of circumstances in which consideration should be given to whether Principle 1 is engaged.

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