SRA Update issue 142 August 2025

The Supreme Court has ruled that, in certain specific circumstances, motor finance companies may have entered unfair relationships with consumers. Since then, the FCA announced it will consult on a consumer compensation scheme. If you are a firm working in this area, you need to understand what this ruling means, and make sure you meet your professional obligations. We have set out our expectations.

Practising certificates renewals will run once again from 1 to 31 October. As well as enabling you to renew your authorisation for the year ahead, we also ask you to provide information about yourself/your firm and to confirm certain obligations are being met. To help you prepare to complete your application, we have published information on what questions we ask both individuals and firms.

As part of your annual renewal, we require confirmation that all solicitors or registered lawyers are taking the required steps to remain competent and keep their knowledge and skills up to date. We have helpful guidance on what we expect, and what you will need to do to confirm this in October, when renewing your practising certificate or registration.

To keep your mySRA account secure, we ask you to verify your identity each time you log in. Currently, we send a code to your phone by text message or voice call. However, this is changing. Instead, after 18 August you will need to use an authenticator app to get the code.

Our latest annual review summarises what we are doing to make sure you are keeping up to date with your continuing competence requirements. As well as highlighting our current work and what we have seen among the profession, the report also shares on-going concerns, highlights best practice, and outlines our future plans in this area.

Join us for our webinar focused on ethnicity pay gap reporting, and how it can be used to encourage better representation for Black, Asian and minority ethnic solicitors in your firm at all levels. Though reporting is currently voluntary, the government recently consulted on making it mandatory for larger firms. This webinar will help you get ahead of this.

We have distributed £360,000 to 11 organisations to support people from disadvantaged backgrounds with the cost of sitting the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). The organisations aim to make the legal industry more accessible to people from under-represented groups to providing, through volunteering, legal advice to veterans and their families.

The Bar Council of India (BCI) recently changed its rules and now allows solicitors and law firms to provide services by establishing an office in India. Find out what you need from us if your firm is interested in this.

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