A profession having to get used to increasingly robust regulatory oversight will have more on its plate from this week with the launch of the new rulebook from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). The new Standards and Regulations (STaRs) came into force on Monday (25 September), ushering in new reporting obligations on solicitors and much-trailed rules designed to make it easier for lawyers to practise individually.
The new code of conduct, which also cuts the core principles from ten to seven, is seen as a further step towards more robust regulation, with the shifting of the SRA’s remit to ‘promote a culture where ethical values and behaviours are embedded,’ according to its enforcement strategy.
