SRA Standards and Regulations

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...

Dispute resolution and proceedings before courts, tribunals and inquiries

You do not misuse or tamper with evidence or attempt to do so. You do not seek to influence the substance of evidence, including generating false evidence or persuading witnesses to change their evidence. You do not provide or offer to provide any benefit to witnesses dependent upon the nature of their evidence or the outcome of the case. You only make assertions or put forward statements,...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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 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...

Confidentiality and disclosure

You keep the affairs of current and former clients confidential unless disclosure is required or permitted by law or the client consents. Where you are acting for a client on a matter, you make the client aware of all information material to the matter of which you have knowledge, except when: the disclosure of the information is prohibited by legal restrictions imposed in the interests of...

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.