SRA Standards and Regulations

Powers of the SRA

The SRA shall hold, and have full power to manage and administer, the Indemnity Fund, subject only to: such directions, conditions and/or requirements as the SRA may from time to time issue to or impose upon it expressly pursuant to this provision, and/or such further detailed arrangements as the SRA may from time to time agree with it. Without limiting the generality of Rule 17.1, the...

Special provisions for RELs

If: one or more of the principals of an insured firm are RELs who claim that professional indemnity insurance, or a professional indemnity fund, under their home professional rules provides the insured firm's practice with professional indemnity cover in all respects equivalent in its conditions and extent to that which would be provided under the MTC (Full Home State Cover); no more than 25%...

Qualifying work experience

Qualifying work experience must: comprise experience of providing legal services which provides you the opportunity to develop the prescribed competences for solicitors; be of a duration of a total of at least two years' full time or equivalent; and be carried out under an arrangement or employment with no more than four separate firms, educational institutions or other organisations. In...

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.

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...

Revocation and expiry

The SRA may revoke a practising certificate, or withdraw registration in the register of European lawyers, the register of foreign lawyers and the register of Swiss lawyers at any time, if the SRA is satisfied: that the practising certificate or registration was granted or renewed as a result of error, misleading or inaccurate information, or fraud; that the replacement or renewal date has...

Removal from and restoration to the roll

The SRA may remove your name from the roll if: following an enquiry made by the SRA under regulation 5.4: you tell the SRA that you do not wish to remain on the roll; you do not, within eight weeks from the date of the notice, reply to the SRA and pay the fee specified under regulation 5.5, or you apply to have your name removed from the roll. Where regulation 5.6(a)(ii) applies, the SRA must...

Regulated claims management activities

If you are a solicitor, an REL, RFL or RSL you may carry on regulated claims management activities or activities that would be regulated claims management activities but for the exclusion in article 89N of the Regulated Activities Order, provided that such work is undertaken through: a body authorised to carry on reserved legal activities; or if the work does not comprise reserved legal...

Commencement, replacement, and renewal

The commencement date for a practising certificate or for registration in the register of European lawyers the register of foreign lawyers or the register of Swiss lawyers shall be the date specified by the SRA on the practising certificate or the register. The replacement date for a practising certificate is 31 October following the issue of the certificate. The renewal date for registration...

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 £20.