SRA-Transparency-Rules-2018-December

New SRA Transparency Rules in Effect on 06 December 2018

Posted on Tuesday, November 6th, 2018 in Blogs

Does  your  website  meet  the  SRA’s  new  regulations  for  the  Transparency  Rules?

Are you a law firm in England & Wales, and if so, does your website meet the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) new regulations for the Transparency Rules? The deadline to make sure your website follows the new guidelines is December 6, 2018. Under these Transparency Rules, law firms must publish price and service information for certain services, complaints information, and display the SRA digital badge.

How  to  ensure  your  website  meets  the  Transparency  Rules

In order to meet these rules your website must publish price and service information on the following areas:

  • Conveyancing (residential)
  • Probate (uncontested)
  • Motoring offences (summary offences)
  • Immigration (excluding asylum)
  • Employment tribunals (unfair or wrongful dismissal)
  • Debt recovery (up to £100,000)
  • Licensing applications (for business premises)

You  must  also  display  the  following  complaints  information:

  • your complaints handling procedure;
  • how and when a complaint can be made to the Legal Ombudsman;
  • how and when a complaint can be made to us.

Lastly, your website must display the SRA digital badge. This badge will be available on the SRA website starting December 6th and will not be required until the spring of 2019.

Why  are  the  new  Transparency  Rules  in  place?

According to the SRA, the 2016 Competition and Markets Authority report, “showed that people and businesses struggle to find clear information about the services firms offer and overestimate the costs of using a law firm or a solicitor.” Therefore, these new regulations should not only help the public get clear and concise information, but also help attract new clients.

What  if  our  law  firm  does  not  have  a  website?

Firms without websites will still be required to have materials stating their pricing and complaint information that will be available to send out upon request.

For any assistance with these rules, you may contact us at mmadigital via our contact form; and for any more information about new Transparency Rules, you can visit the SRA website here.