What is the role of the SRA?

06 Jan What is the role of the SRA?

The SRA (Solicitors Regulation Authority) exists to protect consumers of legal services. It is the independent regulatory arm of the Law Society and makes the rules that solicitors and firms regulated by it must adhere to, acting in the public interest to ensure the regulatory objectives in the Legal Services Act are upheld.

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The SRA regulates all solicitors and many law firms in England and Wales. By ensuring solicitors and law firms meet high standards, it protects and helps the public. Any solicitors who act dishonestly or do not follow the SRA’s rules will be investigated, with the SRA taking action whenever it discovers a case of serious misconduct. It can issue fines and suspend solicitors, strike them off so that they can no longer practise, and even close down firms if it believes there is a serious risk to the public.

What interventions can the SRA carry out?

The SRA can limit the work that solicitors and firms can undertake and can fine them. It also manages a discretionary compensation fund that can help people who have lost money to a dishonest solicitor.

The SRA Solicitors Register enables members of the public to check whether a solicitor is who they claim to be and find out whether a solicitor or law firm is regulated by the SRA. It holds contact details for all registered firms and enables people to check whether a solicitor has any disciplinary decisions on file or the firm has been closed down.

How can you tell whether a firm is regulated by the SRA?

All law firms regulated by the SRA have to include the organisation’s clickable logo on their websites. This shows the public that the firm must follow the SRA’s rules, keep their money safe, and that they have professional insurance. If you are looking for Ascot solicitors such as https://www.parachutelaw.co.uk and want to check whether they are registered, you simply scroll to the bottom of the home page and you will find the logo.

The SRA also ensures there is clear information about costs and services and law firms are obliged to publish their prices for common services such as purchasing a property, employment issues, or dealing with an estate when someone has passed away. This assists people with selecting the firm that is best for them.

The SRA also encourages innovation and technology in the legal sector to ensure people from all communities have improved access to legal services. It also has a website called Legal Choices that has advice and information for anyone who thinks they may have a legal problem. It advises them on the next steps to take and helps them to find the help they are looking for. The website had over a million visits last year and the Legal Choices videos were watched over one million times.

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If you believe a solicitor has broken the SRA rules or failed to meet its standards of conduct, you can report them. If, for example, they have misused money, acted dishonestly or suddenly closed down, you should report this to the SRA. There is also the option to report them to the Legal Ombudsman if you are unhappy about the work the solicitor carried out or if the bill is excessive.