Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what conversations has his Department had with the Legal Services Board over the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s ability to regulate the professional conduct of solicitors and Law firms in England and Wales.

The legal profession in England and Wales, together with its regulators, operates independently of Government. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors and most law firms in England and Wales, with oversight from the Legal Services Board (LSB).

I meet regularly with the leadership of the LSB and SRA to hold them to account and discuss key areas of regulatory risk. Ministry of Justice (MoJ) officials regularly engage with the LSB and the SRA on the operation of the legal services regulatory framework, including matters relating to the SRA’s regulatory performance and public confidence in the regulation of solicitors and law firms. For example, there has been recent discussions relating to the failure of PM Law Limited. In those discussions, the MoJ has underscored the importance of learning lessons, addressing risks to consumers, and ensuring public confidence in legal services regulation is protected. While the MoJ has not made a separate formal assessment of the adequacy of the current regulatory structure for the professional conduct of solicitors and law firms, it keeps the effectiveness of the regulatory framework under review.