SRA to consult on misconduct reporting rule change

The changes are designed to make sure that firms are clear about their role and responsibilities in reporting misconduct.

Discussions with firms about the stage at which they should inform the regulator of potential misconduct and the evidence threshold for doing so have highlighted differences in how the SRA’s current rules are being interpreted.

Following an eight-week consultation inviting the views of firms, the public and wider stakeholders the SRA will update its Code of Conduct to reflect any new wording in this area.

This wording will then be submitted for approval to the Legal Services Board, which is due to consider wider changes to the SRA’s rules and Codes of Conduct developed as part of its regulatory reform programme.

Paul Philip, SRA Chief Executive, said: “Timely reporting of potential misconduct is a key part of public protection. We want to make sure that solicitors and law firms are clear about what, and when, they should report. This consultation is about refining already existing rules to provide that clarity.”

Any amendments to the rules on reporting are expected to come into force during 2019 alongside the wider regulatory changes.

The consultation can be found here: https://www.sra.org.uk/sra/consultations/reporting-concerns.page

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