The prospect of making public regulatory sanctions against solicitors that are currently confidential moved a step closer this week.


The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) launched a consultation on whether reprimands against solicitors, especially those concerning misconduct, should be made public with the aim of helping consumers make choices about legal services and deterring bad practice.



Currently, only decisions of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal are made public, but the SRA proposes to publish: findings of misconduct that result in a reprimand; conditions put on practising certificates; details of allegations in cases accepted by the tribunal; agreements to conclude a regulatory investigation, such as an agreed statement between the firm and the SRA; and decisions to intervene in practices and the legal basis for them.



SRA board chairman Peter Williamson said: 'We believe that information about these decisions can help people decide whether to use a particular solicitor or firm. It might not be popular with everyone in the profession, but it may have a deterrent effect. We have to be properly accountable for our work in regulating solicitors.'



He added: 'We also want more flexibility in the ways in which we can protect the public. For example, a published agreement between the regulator and the solicitor in which the solicitor agrees to make good any detriment to clients, and to improve future practice, may be quicker and more effective than drawn-out tribunal proceedings in less serious cases.'



Links: www.consultations.sra.org.uk



Neil Rose