SRA Standards and Regulations

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.

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:...

Maintenance of and contributions to the Fund

The SRA shall establish and maintain a fund for making grants in respect of applications made in accordance with these rules. Solicitors, RELs, RFLs, RSLs recognised bodies and licensed bodies must make contributions to the Fund in such amounts and at such times as may be prescribed. Any unpaid contributions may be recovered as a debt due to the SRA. The SRA may at any time: borrow for the...

Conditions

The previous practice and each member thereof shall procure that notice to the SRA shall be given in writing as soon as practicable of: any claim(s) the subject of Rule 8 made or intimated during the relevant indemnity period against it, him or her of any claim for or likely to be for more than £500; or the receipt by it, him or her of notice of any intention to make any such claim(s). The...

Obtaining and delivery of accountants' reports

If you have, at any time during an accounting period, held or received client money, or operated a joint account or a client's own account as signatory, you must: obtain an accountant's report for that accounting period within six months of the end of the period; and deliver it to the SRA within six months of the end of the accounting period if the accountant's report is qualified to show a...

Duty to correct breaches upon discovery

You correct any breaches of these rules promptly upon discovery. Any money improperly withheld or withdrawn from a client account must be immediately paid into the account or replaced as appropriate.