The SRA’s Digital Badge will become compulsory and new rules for the profession will become effective from 25th November 2019.
Read more on the SRA’s site at https://www.sra.org.uk/sra/news/press/standards-regulations-start-date-2019.page
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The SRA have released updated templates and guidance on what needs up-dating. Changes to the websites of law firms regulated by the SRA need to be carried out by 6th December 2018
There is also a new digital badge to use.
Further information is at http://www.sra.org.uk/sra/news/press/price-transparency-digital-badge-confirmed.page?src=rss
UPDATE: here’s a link to the SRA’s templates on suggested wording – https://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/guidance/ethics-guidance/price-transparency.page#templates
Not cheery stuff, but possible useful one day… If a sole practitioner has died, temporary emergency authorisation from the SRA is required. The SRA need to be notified within 7 days and the application made on form FA7 with 28 days of the date of death.
SRA guidance is here – http://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/firm-based-authorisation/tea-sole-practitioner.page
Jon Whittle’s commentary and views on the imminent SRA changes make for very sobering reading. He says “Most firms are unaware of the changes and are therefore unprepared and unprotected to face what’s coming next. Is this the fault of the solicitors for not educating themselves, or the regulatory body for not getting through to them?”
I have to agree with Sophie Barrett-Brown’s comment;
“Some regulatory changes may have an impact on standards. Firms are
challenged to do everything faster, cheaper… but there’s only so much that can achieve and for many types of work a certain amount of time is still needed for good, old-fashioned thinking and doing it properly.”
What are your views?
Does your firm provide advice in an area where you will need to give information to the public about your fees? Do we really need a digital badge to show the public that solicitors are SRA-regulated?
You can read the report here – http://www.lexisnexis.co.uk/research-and-reports/bellwether-discussion-paper-2018.html
SRA information on some of the changes are here – http://www.sra.org.uk/sra/news/press/better-information-june-2018.page
The new advice I have written is now available from the Handy Guides section of this website – see Continuity Planning.
It isn’t nice to consider what happens if… However, this has information on Special Executors in your Will, appointing an Attorney to deal with your firm and a pro-forma that you can tailor to your own firm for planning for risks such as floods and other disasters. I hope it’s helpful!
Lexis Nexis have published it on their Compliance site, which is well worth a look, as there’s lots of very insightful and helpful material – http://www.lexisnexis.co.uk/sites/en-uk/independent-law/compliance-and-pii.page
