SRA Standards and Regulations

Retention

If you are a solicitor and you do not hold a practising certificate the SRA will write to you once a year at the last notified version of your postal or email address to ask you whether you wish your name to remain on the roll. If, following an enquiry under regulation 5.4, you wish your name to remain on the roll, you shall be required to pay a fee of £10.

Referrals, introductions and separate businesses

In respect of any referral of a client by you to another person, or of any third party who introduces business to you or with whom you share your fees, you ensure that: clients are informed of any financial or other interest which you or your business or employer has in referring the client to another person or which an introducer has in referring the client to you; clients are informed of any...

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...

Other business requirements

You must not be a manager, employee, member or interest holder of a business that: has a name which includes the word "solicitors"; or describes its work in a way that suggests it is a solicitors' firm; unless it is an authorised body. If you are a solicitor who holds a practising certificate, an REL, RFL or RSL, you must complete and deliver to the SRA an annual return in the prescribed form....

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...

Use of information

Deleted

Indemnity

Indemnity for ceased practices Any member of a previous practice which ceased on or before 31 August 2000 who has at any time been either: an assured as a result of the issue of a certificate under one or more of the master policies, or a person entitled to be indemnified by virtue of the issue of a receipt under the Solicitors' Indemnity Rules 1987-1990 or a payment of Contribution and Value...

Grants which may be made from the Fund

A person may apply for a grant out of the Fund, if the loss referred to in rule 3.3 relates to services provided: by the defaulting practitioner for them; or to, or as, a trustee where they are a beneficiary of the estate or trust. A person who is not a client of the defaulting practitioner may apply for a grant out of the Fund if they: were a party on the other side of a legal matter on which...

Indemnity Periods before 1 September 1987

The policies taken out and maintained and the certificates issued by the Society pursuant to the Solicitors' Indemnity Rules 1975 to 1986 shall continue to provide cover subject to and in accordance with their terms in respect of their respective periods up to and including 31 August 1987. They shall not provide cover in respect of any subsequent period.

Manner of indemnity

Such indemnity shall be provided, according to the decision of the SRA as set out in Rule 10.2, in any one or any combination of the following ways: by payment, in or towards satisfaction of the claim and/or claimant's costs and expenses, to or to the order of the claimant making the claim; by payment, in respect of the claim and/or claimant's costs and expenses and/or costs and expenses...