SRA principles meaning

This checklist assists you in assessing whether your arrangements and controls support effective compliance with the publicity‑related regulatory duties that govern law firms. Read it alongside the subtopic: Publicity & inducements—law firms, to ensure full context. Publicity obligations under the SRA appear in the SRA Principles, the SRA Code of Conduct for Firms (Code for Firms), the SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors (Code for Solicitors) and the SRA Transparency Rules. These are supported by guidance notes and warning notices issued by the SRA. See also Practice Note: Publicity—law firms for further detail. General Requirement Compulsory or recommended Comments (if any) ☐ Put in place a process to confirm that any publicity concerning your practice aligns with the SRA Principles and is not misleading. See Precedents: Publicity material compliance check—law firms and Publicity material audit form—law firms...

Risk & Compliance weekly highlights—19 December 2024 In this issue: Risk & Compliance forecast Data protection Financial sanctions AML, CTF & counter-proliferation financing Other Risk & Compliance updates this week Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Risk & Compliance Highlights 2024/2025 Risk & Compliance forecast Our refreshed Risk & Compliance forecast (dated 18 December 2024) is now available. This month we cover: (1) the EDPB’s consultation on Guidelines 02/2024 concerning GDPR Article 48; (2) expectations that the Data (Use and Access) Bill will be enacted in early spring 2025; (3) the ICO’s indication that it will update its existing AI guidance in due course; and (4) two Treasury Committee oral evidence sessions on 4 and 17 December examining the acceptance of physical cash in the UK. See News Analysis: New Risk & Compliance forecast as at 18 December 2024. Data protection Irish DPC fines Meta €251m for GDPR violations linked...

In this issue: Practice Compliance forecast Financial sanctions AML, CTF & counter-proliferation financing Data protection Other Practice Compliance updates this week Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Latest Q&A Practice Compliance Highlights 2024/2025 Practice Compliance forecast Our refreshed Practice Compliance forecast, current as at 18 December 2024, is now available. This edition covers: (1) the European Data Protection Board’s consultation on Guidelines 02/2024 concerning GDPR Article 48, (2) an expectation that the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) will finalise its budget and business plan in Spring 2025, (3) an expectation that the Data (Use and Access) Bill will be enacted in early spring 2025, and (4) the ICO’s indication that it intends to update its existing AI guidance in due course. See News Analysis: New Practice Compliance forecast as at 18 December 2024. Financial sanctions Changes to UK sanctions legislation: The Sanctions (EU Exit) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No 2) Regulations 2024, SI 2024/1157...

Outcome 11.3 Outcome 11.3 of the former 2011 code (old code) in the 2011 SRA Handbook on contract races is not carried across into the two new codes under the new SRA Standards and Regulations. Is any other provision in the new codes relevant to contract races? Yes. Principles 2 (maintaining public trust and confidence), 4 (acting honestly) and 5 (acting with integrity) in the Standards and Regulations almost certainly encompass contract races, and paragraphs 1.2 (not taking unfair advantage) and 1.4 (not misleading) in the 'Maintaining trust and acting fairly' section of the new codes would bear upon contract races in property transactions. Contract races can be ethically complex, arising where a property seller instructs their solicitor to proceed with more than one prospective buyer. In such circumstances it is common for attempts by the selling client or a bidder to secure a benefit (for example, receiving the pre-contract pack ahead of others in the race), meaning the contest is not genuinely fair or transparent. This dynamic frequently...

This Practice Note is aimed at law firms. It encapsulates the publicity obligations in the SRA Standards and Regulations, together with associated SRA guidance and warning notices. In essence, you must ensure that any publicity about your practice accords with the SRA Principles, particularly by acting in a manner that sustains public trust and confidence in the solicitors’ profession and with honesty and integrity. When delivering services to the public, or a section of it, you must also ensure that publicity about your practice is accurate and not misleading, including any statements about your charges and the situations in which interest is payable by or to clients. There are additional requirements concerning letterheads, how staff are described, your regulatory status, and price and service information, etc, which apply more broadly. See also Precedent: Publicity policy—law firms. What is publicity? Publicity includes: all promotional material and activity, including the name or description of your firm stationery advertisements brochures websites directory entries...

All family practitioners ought to approach their work with a commercially minded approach to practice. Partners must ensure the firm as a whole turns a healthy profit, heads of department must deliver a profitable team, and each individual must be profitable to safeguard their business, their team or their role. Although making major changes to systems can be culturally or personally difficult, smaller, incremental actions that lift profit margins are usually far more attainable for virtually any practice. This Practice Note sets out practical suggestions designed to strengthen performance at both personal and firm-wide scale. Professional obligations The SRA Standards and Regulations apply. The key requirements set out within the SRA Standards and Regulations comprise the following: Principles Code of Conduct for Solicitors, registered European lawyers (RELs), registered foreign lawyers (RFLs) and registered Swiss lawyers (RSLs) Code of Conduct for Firms Accounts Rules Glossary The SRA Accounts Rules set out how firms should keep clients’ money safe and...

This Practice Note outlines the SRA’s regulatory obligations around litigation and advocacy, and offers direction on why a litigation policy is necessary. It mirrors the SRA Standards and Regulations and draws on pertinent SRA guidance, particularly on conduct in disputes. It also aligns with current SRA commentary on dispute conduct. What types of litigation are covered? A ‘court’ encompasses any court, tribunal or inquiry in England and Wales, a British court martial, or a court in another jurisdiction. Strictly speaking, alternative dispute resolution (ADR), including mediation or arbitration, does not take place before a court. Nonetheless, you should apply equivalent standards of behaviour across all ADR processes; the SRA Principles are pervasive and extend to ADR. Accordingly, maintain consistent professional decorum across mediation, arbitration and other ADR formats. SRA Standards and Regulations It reflects the SRA Standards and Regulations, together with relevant SRA guidance. SRA Principles The SRA Principles are paramount duties that ought to guide all your actions—and inactions...

This Precedent presentation This Precedent presentation serves as a training tool that you can use to help brief your team on the SRA Standards and Regulations. It addresses the SRA Principles, the Codes of Conduct for individuals and for firms, the various different routes by which solicitors may practise, non-compliance, and reporting of breaches. The training resources can be tailored. This edition of the training pack is provided in PowerPoint and therefore it cannot be downloaded to Word from this page...

This document offers guidance to [ insert eg, partners ] and any other members of staff involved in supervising colleagues who work remotely and off-site. It covers the oversight of all contractors who are engaged on remote-working arrangements as well. What the SRA expects from us The SRA sets broad requirements for the supervision of work, together with specific regulatory duties concerning the training and oversight of our trainee solicitors. Its core supervisory obligations are contained in the two Codes of Conduct (the SRA Code for Solicitors, RELs, RFLs and RSLs and the SRA Code for Firms) and should be interpreted in light of the SRA Principles. Additional supervision-related provisions are dispersed throughout the SRA Standards and Regulations. The core requirements in the Codes of Conduct are set out below: Obligations applying to the firm Obligations applying to individual solicitors, RELs, RFLs and RSLs regulated by the SRA The firm remains accountable for compliance with the SRA’s regulatory arrangements where...

Question Correct answer 1. As a law firm regulated by the SRA, what must we adhere to? (c) SRA Standards and Regulations and any relevant legislation and rules that govern our business in general 2. How many Principles does SRA have? (b) 7 3. Which one of the options below is not an SRA Principle? (c) Comply with your legal and regulatory duties 4...