The SRA's handbook places numerous reporting requirements on firms, those working within firms and authorised individuals. This page attempts to summarise these requirements and provides references to where the full requirements can be found in SRA's Handbook.
Many of the requirements apply to firms, as an authorised body. Firms should decide who, within the firm, will make these reports. In many cases, firms may decide that the person best placed to make these reports is the Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP).
Applicants to the SRA should report:
- as soon as aware, any changes to the information provided in an application for authorisation under the authorisation rules (Authorisation rules, 3.1)
- provide the SRA with relevant information to enable it to decide upon any application you make to it (chapter 10, outcome 2)
Authorised bodies should report:
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information required it as part of its annual information gathering exercise by the prescribed date (Authorisation rules, 8.7(a))
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as soon as aware, any changes to relevant information pertaining the firm, its employees, managers, or owners including any non-compliance with the authorisation rules and the conditions on the firm's authorisation (Authorisation rules, 8.7(c))
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immediately that the firm has, or reasonably supposes it has, provided the SRA with information which was or may have been false, misleading, incomplete or inaccurate, or has or may have changed in a materially significant way (Authorisation rules, 8.7(d))
- within 7 days that the firm has changed status because it no longer fulfils the fundamental requirements:
- to be a legal services body because there is no solicitor / REL
- to be a partnership because only one active partner remains
- to be an ABS because there is no lawyer remaining (Authorisation rules, 8.8-8.10
- because the relevant person (e.g. the remaining solicitor, lawyer or partner):
- is committed to prison in civil or criminal proceedings
- becomes and continues to be unable to attend to the practice of the body because of incapacity caused by illness, accident or age
- becomes and continues to be a person who lacks capacity under Part 1 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005
- abandons the practice or
- is made subject to a condition on his or her practising certificate, registration or equivalent authorisation by an approved regulator other than the SRA which would be breached by continuing in the required role
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immediately and in any event within 7 days that the firm no longer has a COLP and/or a COFA (Authorisation rules, 18.1)
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within 7 days, if due to an event which could not reasonably have been foreseen, that the firm is no longer eligible to be an ABS (Authorisation rules, 23.1)
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within 7 days, if due to an event which could not reasonably have been foreseen, that the firm is no longer eligible to be a legal services body (Authorisation rules, 23.1)
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within 7 days, that only one partner remains and thus will need to be authorised as a sole practitioner (Authorisation rules, 24.2)
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within 7 days, that a new firm has been created by a split from in authorised firm by one or more partners and requires emergency authorisation (Authorisation rules, 25.1)
- within 7 days, any change to:
- the firm's name
- registered office and/or any of its practising addresses
- managers and members if it is a company
- interest holders, if it is a non-ABS
- owners, if it is an ABS
- COLP or COFA (Practice framework rules, 18.2)
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within 7 days if the firm has re-registered as limited under the Companies Acts (Practice framework rules, 18.3)
Managers should report:
- within 7 days, that the firm has become insolvent
Those to whom the SRA accounts rules apply should ensure:
- delivery of accountants' reports (SRA accounts rules, 32)
The relevant person should report
- within 7 days, change to the composition of a partnership which results in a solicitor or registered European lawyer (REL) becoming a sole principal (4.3 Practising Regulations)
- within 7 days, the death of the sole practitioner (4.5 Practising Regulations)
A solicitor, REL or RFL should report
- within 7 days if they have
- been committed to prison in civil or criminal proceedings;
- been charged with or convicted of an indictable offence;
- made the subject of bankruptcy proceedings;
- made a proposal for an individual voluntary arrangement or are the manager of a firm which made a proposal for insolvency
- been admitted as a member of a legal profession of a jurisdiction other than England and Wales or a lawyer of England and Wales other than a solicitor
- been made subject to disciplinary proceedings as a member of a legal profession of a jurisdiction other than England and Wales or a lawyer of England and Wales other than a solicitor
- become a manager of, or acquire any interest in, a firm which is a non-ABS, or become a manager or owner of a firm which is regulated by another approved regulator
- set up a sole practice as a member of a legal profession of a jurisdiction other than England and Wales or as a lawyer of England and Wales other than a solicitor
- changed their name as shown on the Roll
- ceased to practice (Practising Regulations, 14)
- within 14 days, of any change in place or places of business, if they have, or have applied for, a practising certificate (s84, Solicitors Act 1974)
Those to whom the Code of Conduct applies should report:
- promptly, any material changes to relevant information about you including:
- serious financial difficulty,
- action taken against you by another regulator and
- serious failure to comply with the handbook (Chapter 10, outcome 3)
- serious misconduct by any person or firm authorised by the SRA, or any employee, manager or owner of any such firm (Chapter 10, outcome 4)
- comply with the SRA’s requests for other information (Chapter 10 Outcome 6 -11)
- inform the SRA when you become aware that your firm will cease to practice (Chapter 10, outcome 13)
A non-authorised person should report:
- that they propose to acquire a material interest in an ABS, or have done so. Failure to do so is an offence. (paragraph 21, schedule 13, the Legal Services Act 2007