SRA ‘confident’ over PC renewals
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has expressed ‘confidence’ that this year’s practising certificate renewal season, which began today, will pass more smoothly than last year’s troubled process.
2011 was the first year that the SRA attempted online renewal and payments, through its mySRA portal. Well-publicised difficulties with the system resulted in thousands of solicitors missing the renewal deadline.
To avoid similar frustrations this time, the SRA carried out a ‘comprehensive review’ that led to changes. These include making the application process simpler and quicker, and implementing new technology to enhance the capacity of the portal.
One key change is the introduction of an administrator function that will allow authorised contacts within a firm to complete the renewal process for all solicitors in the organisation, rather than each individual solicitor having to apply. A one-click ‘record complete’ function will allow multiple records to be confirmed as correct within the bulk renewal application.
An SRA spokeswoman said: ‘We have worked closely with the regulated community over the summer to prioritise a series of enhancements so that this year’s PC renewals exercise goes much more smoothly than last year.’
She said the regulator has held ‘engagement sessions’ up and down the country to demonstrate to the regulated community the changes that have been made in response to their feedback.
The SRA has also provided firms with support material giving them information about the process, including access to the questions that appear on the bulk renewal form and related guidance; frequently asked questions; and a readiness guide.
Essential maintenance of the mySRA website portal took place before the go-live date.
The Spokeswoman added: ‘We are confident that the steps we have put in place will lead to a much better experience.’ The deadline for registration is 14 December.
More information can be found on the mySRA website.
Comments
Is this the same type of
Is this the same type of confidence which is expressed by a football manager just after he has received a vote of confidence from the Board of Directors of the club?
Well someone has to be.
I hope the "essential maintenance" of the MySRA portal also clears up the mistakes, errors and omissions that have dogged it for the last few months..........
Something more than maintenance may be required!
As a member of the "regulated community" I wonder how much the person who writes these pointless press releases is paid.
What could go wrong?
With a 23 page summary document and an online tutorial on how to complete the process what could possibly go wrong?
In the old days it was awful. We had to fill in a form and stuff a cheque in an envelope and we all got a certificate in the post. Usually took about 30 minutes. What a waste of time and resources!
I can't find the bit about
I can't find the bit about how the senior management of the SRA will resign if it doesn't work. Can someone point me to it?
The SRA
"I am not a member of the regulated community. I am a free man."
Well, I was...once..
Better Experience
'....will lead to a much better experience'?
I though it was just a bit of paper you stuck to your wall?
Tsk. I can tell that you did
Tsk. I can tell that you did not attend one of the 'engagement sessions'.
PS Neither did I.
I better make sure that the
I better make sure that the printer is topped up with ink so that I can print my own certificate off.
Don't get me started on that.....
I am confused by their key
I am confused by their key change. They say they have improved the system by allowing one person in the firm to renew for all solicitors in the firm. Forgive me if I'm mistaken but that was what our firm did during last year's debacle.
Have they actually done anything?
SRA press release
Is it possible to write a press release in plain English? I assume that "engagement sessions" are in fact meetings and "the regulated community" constitutes solicitors. Further why not identify the SRA "spokeswoman" so that she can be reminded of the wisdom of her words come bonus time?
I watched the 'webinar'.
I watched the 'webinar'. What a total waste of time. I have wasted an hour and am still no nearer to understanding what I need to do.
Haven't those cretins heard of the maxim - 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'?
My Phantom Practising Certificate ...
I did not practice over the 2011/12 period.
However, due to their internal on-line renewal problems, I recently found out that the SRA deemed me to have a practising certificate because they carried over 10/11 certificates into 11/12, to allow solicitors and the SRA to catch up with renewals after the on-line debacle.
I was then required to cancel this deemed certificate by notifying the SRA via form NNR.
Very unsatisfactory.
How is one supposed to know that they need to cancel a PC they did not even know they had?
Also, the SRA standard worded letters are beyond the pale ... "pay or face revocation as you are in breach of the regulations if you are practising without a certificate".
Perhaps a more civil letter asking what you are currently doing could be drafted?
Regulatory Fundamentalism
As a member of the " regulated community" and having barely come to terms with the prospect of a " Thematic Diversity Review" the idea of the SRA working closely with anybody on policy areas is laughable
The concept of COFA etc is absurd and would not exist but for the fanatical regulatory fundamentalism of the SRA
If the SRA persist with these policies the regulated community will become a very resentful community and they will not remain passive for much longer
SRA
I received an e-mail mid October this year informing me that my practising certificate for 2012 up till the end of October 2012 was issued.
I have no confidence in the SRA at all, hopefully after the disaster that is about to unfold Mr Townsend and his board will do the decent thing and resign. If not then I suggest a concerted campaign by the "regulated community" to have them sacked.
Can you imagine the reaction of the SRA if the "regulated community" wasted the time of their clients, oops, apologies "consumers" in such a manner!?
Having spent an hour and a
Having spent an hour and a half so far this morning on the new simplified process trying to add an e-mail address, I am not convinced. Long delays in login, moving between pages and then pages freezing.Thank goodness we have until 14th Deecmber!
Two hours out of my day so
Two hours out of my day so far on this. And I have managed to get part through number 5 of 18 sections.
Do the SRA think we have nothing better to day that fill out their forms all day?
SRA "confident" ahead of PC Renewals
What a churlish group Solicitors are! The SRA have prepared a plan, adopted a policy and set out a procedure. They have a register of things that might go wrong and have checked that those who are involved match the diversity of the public at large. What has whether it works got to do with it?
PC Renewal Success
I hate to admit it but I have completed my firm's renewal this morning. Yes it took about 90 minutes but never locked up or timed out even when I was going through 12 months of bank statements to find our highest, lowest and average client account balances (something you are best to work out before you start). Now we just have to pay the fees which disgracefully include 'admin fees'
It's all gone wrong!
I am trying to renew my firm's PCs as we speak. The website appears to have crashed and the phone lines say that they are experiencing a high volume of calls and to call back later, before cutting me off. My firm's Orgainsation Contact is unable to access the renewal form through his mySRA account, which is the same problem I spent about 3 hours trying to rectify last year. So far, not impressed!
*Organisation
*Organisation
Nope. Keeps crashing. This
Nope. Keeps crashing.
This user experience is negative. Maybe had I attended an engagement session I could post an affirmative outcome.
Going forward I cannot be a product evangelist but we must recognise that we cannot turn a tanker round with a speed boat change: there is lierally not enough bandwidth.
'The Solicitors Regulation
'The Solicitors Regulation Authority has expressed ‘confidence’ that this year’s practising certificate renewal season, which began today, will pass more smoothly than last year’s troubled process.'
'Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage' is what you get when you try to log in.
How do these people keep their jobs?
Get back in your box, pleb!
Get back in your box, pleb!
Can't log in
Like others, I have been unable to log in this afternoon. How is this an improvement?
Not even going to try ...
................ until the end of the month when hopefully any problems will have been sorted.
A total and utter
A total and utter joke.!!
Where is the nice user-friendly process?
Where is the nice button to click on - PRACTISING CERT RENEWAL...?!!
What a bunch of total incompetents...
PC Renewals
It is nothing short of a disgrace that our regulators consistently fail to achieve their key objectives, despite the (misplaced) confidence they seem to have in themselves. The renewals website remains out of commission and our HR Manager has wasted most of her afternoon attempting to renew the PC of our solicitors.
I honestly do not understand how Mr Townsend is able to remain in office given the shocking record of the SRA during the course of the last couple of years. It seems to me that the age of taking responsibility for one's own actions have long gone...
TLS
Q. What is the Law Society's public response (as the representative arm of solicitors) to the latest failings of the SRA? A. Total silence. Q. What is the function of the Law Society? A. It occupies a valuable piece of real estate in Chancery Lane WC1 that 99% of solicitors never visit. Q. Is it time to instruct the estate agents? A. Yes/No (delete as appropriate)
How dare you publish such an
How dare you publish such an outrageous untruth!!! Did you not check your facts???? I hope that you will reply with an immediate retraction and apology for such odious inaccuracy!!!
So let me put the matter right for you.
Chancery Lane is WC2, not WC1.
*smiles*
Food and the SRA
Last weekend I took my girlfriend to a medium sized town in the south west. I looked on a trip adviser site and planned ahead. The restaurant we visited as part of the trip almost got to 5 stars. It deserved every one. I guessed that the 3 people who'd given it one star had imagined accidentally that the waitress had got webbed feet. Hundreds of others had visited and rated it highly. Everyone has their critic. If there was a regulator comparison site for Solicitors to visit before they picked theirs I somehow guess that the SRA would be the antithesis of that restaurant, where we were given timely, accurate service at a reasonable cost, of extremely nice food. Few after effects; the odd bilious gesture and off we went. Good luck.
and still mySRA is
and still mySRA is down.....
If you go to the PC renewal webinar Youtube SRA page:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=evWcrvzHaqo
you can post your comments to the SRA - although they appear to not allow those they consider unfavourable to them.
So much for freedom of speech
Syscap's online PC spread payment portal
With the main topic of the day being the MySRA portal and hearing of the many frustrations I would like to use this opportunity to gauge some feedback.
How are users who have used it, found Syscap's PC Spread Payment Scheme Online Portal?
Your feedback is appreciated.