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I regularly appear for solicitor clients before the SDT. I appear for doctors before MPTS and health professionals before the HCPC. The SDT is the fairest of these by some distance. Why? All member lay and professional are considered in their views and aware of the exceptional responsibility they face on a respondents life and future career.

The solicitor members ensure the work aspects are understood. The lay members ensure the public protection aspect remains a key focus.

By contrast the SRA wants to apply unproven perception and to lower the current standards. The SRA has lost sight of its regulatory obligations under the LSA 2007 Section 1:

"(a) protecting and promoting the public interest;" So high standards needed.

"(b) supporting the constitutional principle of the rule of law;" Nothing there to support weaker decision making. By contrast we as a profession to be showcasing the best not the worst of rule of law.

(h) "promoting and maintaining adherence to the professional principles". It needs to raise standards and should not feel obliged to lower them.

The SRA's should not play politics and ignore its statutory duties and call for changes to sound like it is doing the right thing to the uninformed. Instead it should focus on maintaining and raising standards not lowering them.