Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson has today announced the launch of a pilot initiative to enable Compliance Officers for Legal Practice (COLPs) to submit enquiries to the Law Society, which, with the aid of a group of practitioners, will provide advice on major compliance problems.
Hudson today told the COLP and COFAs Conferenceat the DeVere Holborn Bars, London that the pilot scheme, the Compliance Reference Group (CRG), will initially apply to the top 100 firms with a view to rolling out the initiative to the wider profession.
The news follows the announcement that the Solicitors Regulation Authority has extended the deadline to nominate COLPs and COFAs to 31 July 2012.
Hudson told the conference: 'This is an entirely new type of service. It's the Law Society putting its money where its mouth is. If it works we plan to roll it out across all of our members and all firms and for COFAs as well. Member services like these put the Law Society right where it should be - offering concrete support to our members at the heart of the legal services market.'
Following the conference Hudson added: 'COLP and COFA requirements have been on the radar for some time, so the new deadline should not be a surprise to anyone.
'The Law Society has and continues to provide a suite of guidance and support to members on outcomes focused regulation and wider compliance issues through its flagship Risk and Compliance Service, as well as practice notes, online training, diagnostic visits and more. The CRG adds to that support.
'While we are disappointed that the SRA chose not to act on our suggestion to defer the COLP and COFA regime for smaller practices, practices can take advantage of the support package we provide to ensure compliance with these requirements.'
Find out more about the Law Society's Risk and Compliance Service
Find out more about the Compliance Reference Group
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