In response to the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) Reporting Concerns consultation, the Law Society has said that greater clarity in relation to the process for reporting misconduct that is appropriate for law firms of all sizes is needed in order to ensure that serious cases are dealt with quickly.
Law Society president Christina Blacklaws said:
“Working environments should be safe for all. It is imperative that the solicitor profession has a system for dealing with misconduct so that matters are dealt with appropriately and promptly.
“It is in the best interests of the public, our members and their clients that there is a clearly defined and easily understood process for dealing with misconduct and allegations of misconduct.
“We recommend a common-sense approach that recognises the importance of reporting serious concerns to the regulator promptly, but equally doesn’t result in over-reporting that could be unmanageable.
“We have set out how we believe this balance should be struck so that solicitors and firms have clarity over when and what they must report. Equally, the regulator should take a proportionate and consistent approach to enforcement.
“The solicitor profession maintains exceptionally high professional and ethical standards. They must be held to account if their actions violate the professional code of ethics or break the law.”
The Law Society’s response to the consultation can be found at https://bit.ly/2BZXRz2 whilst the original consultation (which closed on 27th September 2018) can be found at https://bit.ly/2y77TLZ