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In its early years the SRA went to great lengths to assure the profession it would take a constructive attitude, was not out to nobble solicitors for minor transgressions and would be proportionate in its stance to regulatory issues. By and large, to be fair, while it was far from perfect, that is what happened. Then Mr Philip was appointed and we all know how that has turned out.

Private practice (in small firms in particular) has been horrible for some years and in no small part that is because it feels as though the SRA is at war with those it regulates. Every public utterance of those in charge of the SRA oozes with arrogance, disdain for the regulated and indifference to costs of their actions to the profession and the impact on the mental health of thousands of solicitors of their constant threats and interferences with the day job.

We can only hope Ms Rapson's appointment triggers a sea-change in the SRA's attitude to the profession. It would be assisted by an immediate amnesty on historic AML compliance tansgressions and Ms Bradley reflecting on her own role in the dreadful culture at the top of the SRA and doing the decent thing. I live in hope, not expectation.