SRA seeks public's view on professional standards of solicitors

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has launched a national campaign to determine whether disciplinary action against solicitors is sufficient in the eyes of the public.

The SRA's chief executive, Paul Philip, said: 'We regulate in the public interest, so it's important that we ask the public what really matters to them when using a solicitor and what should happen when things go wrong. We want people to have their say on issues that we tackle every day.

'Their views will feed into our regulatory model and help us to deliver consistent decisions that meet the expectations of both the public and the profession.'

The 'A Question of Trust' campaign will run until the end of January 2016 and will draw upon surveys, interactive road shows, public meetings, and a formal consultation in the autumn.

Members of the public attending the 28 scheduled events across England and Wales will be asked to vote on how seriously they view different situations where solicitors have failed to uphold professional standards at work or in their private lives.

The campaign is part of the regulator's initiative of asking questions about issues of trust, professional standards, and effective regulation of the solicitor profession.

In July, the SRA asked 10,000 solicitors to take part in an online survey of the profession to develop the process. All feedback from the campaign and consultation will help to develop a future SRA decision-making framework.