SRA Standards and Regulations

Cooperation and accountability

You keep up to date with and follow the law and regulation governing the way you work. You are able to justify your decisions and actions in order to demonstrate compliance with your obligations under the SRA's regulatory arrangements. You cooperate with the SRA, other regulators, ombudsmen, and those bodies with a role overseeing and supervising the delivery of, or investigating concerns in...

Client identification

You identify who you are acting for in relation to any matter.

Complaints handling

You ensure that, as appropriate in the circumstances, you either establish and maintain, or participate in, a procedure for handling complaints in relation to the legal services you provide. You ensure that clients are informed in writing at the time of engagement about: their right to complain to you about your services and your charges; how a complaint can be made and to whom; and any right...

Client information and publicity

You give clients information in a way they can understand. You ensure they are in a position to make informed decisions about the services they need, how their matter will be handled and the options available to them. You ensure that clients receive the best possible information about how their matter will be priced and, both at the time of engagement and when appropriate as their matter...

Maintaining trust and acting fairly

You do not unfairly discriminate by allowing your personal views to affect your professional relationships and the way in which you provide your services. You do not abuse your position by taking unfair advantage of clients or others. You perform all undertakings given by you and do so within an agreed timescale or if no timescale has been agreed then within a reasonable amount of time. You do...

Service and competence

You only act for clients on instructions from the client, or from someone properly authorised to provide instructions on their behalf. If you have reason to suspect that the instructions do not represent your client's wishes, you do not act unless you have satisfied yourself that they do. However, in circumstances where you have legal authority to act notwithstanding that it is not possible to...

Client money and assets

You properly account to clients for any financial benefit you receive as a result of their instructions, except where they have agreed otherwise. You safeguard money and assets entrusted to you by clients and others.

Conflict of interests

You do not act if there is an own interest conflict or a significant risk of such a conflict. You do not act in relation to a matter or a particular aspect of it if you have a conflict of interest or a significant risk of such a conflict in relation to that matter or aspect of it, unless: the clients have a substantially common interest in relation to the matter or the aspect of it, as...

Managers in SRA authorised firms

If you are a manager, you are responsible for compliance by your firm with this Code. This responsibility is joint and several if you share management responsibility with other managers of the firm.

Appropriation of payments

Where you are entitled to payments from the same client in respect of two or more regulated credit agreements, you must allow the client to put any payments made, in respect of those agreements, towards the satisfaction of the sum due under any one or more of the agreements in such proportions as the client thinks fit.