SRA Standards and Regulations

Eligibility for a grant

A person is eligible to apply for a grant out of the Fund if, at the time the application is made, they are: an individual; a sole trader; partnership, body corporate, unincorporated association or mutual association with an annual turnover or assets of less than £2 million; a charity with annual income net of tax in the most recent financial year of less than £2 million; or a trustee of a...

Grants to defaulting practitioners

The SRA may make a grant to a defaulting practitioner who or which has suffered or is likely to suffer loss by reason of their liability to any client in direct consequence of an act or omission of: in the case of a defaulting solicitor, defaulting REL, defaulting RFL or defaulting RSL any of their employees or any fellow manager; in the case of a defaulting recognised body, any of its...

Foreign lawyers

The SRA shall not make a grant in respect of any act or omission of an REL, or the employee of an REL, where such act or omission took place outside the UK, unless the SRA is satisfied that the act or omission was, or was closely connected with, the act or omission of a solicitor or the employee of a solicitor, or that the act or omission was closely connected with the REL's practice in the...

Adequate and appropriate insurance

Notwithstanding rule 2.1 above, an authorised body must take out and maintain professional indemnity insurance that provides adequate and appropriate cover in respect of current or past practice taking into account any alternative arrangements the body or its clients may make. An authorised body must ensure that its clients have the benefit of the indemnity insurance required under these rules...

Transitionals and savings

For the purposes of the SA (including without limitation section 10 of that Act), any person who is in breach of any rule or part of any rule under the Solicitors' Indemnity Insurance Rules 2000 to 2010 or SRA Indemnity Insurance Rules 2011 to 2013 will be deemed, for so long as that person remains in breach, not to be complying with these rules.

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...

Compliance officers

If you are a COLP you must take all reasonable steps to: ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of your firm's authorisation; ensure compliance by your firm and its managers, employees or interest holders with the SRA's regulatory arrangements which apply to them; ensure that your firm's managers and interest holders and those they employ or contract with do not cause or substantially...

Monitoring

The SRA may require from an authorised body or any principal in an authorised body, information and evidence it may reasonably require to satisfy itself that the body has complied with these rules.

Records of transactions

Where you receive instructions from a client to effect a transaction, or make a decision to effect a transaction in your discretion, you must keep a record of: the name of the client; the terms of the instructions or decision; and in the case of instructions, the date on which they were received. Where you give instructions to another person to effect a transaction, you must keep a record of:...

Professional and organisational requirements

You must ensure that: the firm and each relevant employee possesses appropriate knowledge and ability in order to complete their tasks and perform duties adequately; and that all the persons in its management structure and any staff directly involved in insurance distribution activities are of good repute. In considering a person's good repute, you must as a minimum ensure that the person: has...