The solicitors’ watchdog is overhauling its panel of external legal advisers and has extended the deadline for firms to pitch for a spot on the roster.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) will disband its current disciplinary proceedings and litigation panels in favour of creating one central panel.
Firms on the new panel will need to provide the SRA with services including: prosecution, advocacy and appeals before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT); work on court proceedings arising from interventions into law firms; representation in recovery litigation; and general legal advice.
News of the overhaul comes just months after the regulator launched a review of its litigation panel in February amid a wider review of its internal legal function. It also rolled over its legal panel for prosecution work at the start of the year for another 12 months. The SRA currently turns to firms on its prosecution panel when bringing misconduct cases against lawyers and firms.
The current litigation and disciplinary proceedings panels have sat for three years and expired on 30 June, however the SRA has extended the contracts until 31 December 2016 when the new panel will be appointed.
Firms on the litigation roster are currently: Bevan Brittan, Capsticks, Devonshires Solicitors, Kingsley Napley, Simmons & Simmons and Russell Cooke. Meanwhile the disciplinary proceedings panel is made up of: Bevan Brittan, Blake Morgan, Capsticks, David Barton, Devonshires Solicitors, Jonathan Goodwin Solicitor Advocate Ltd, and Pennington Manches.
An SRA spokesperson said the change to one panel “will enhance co-ordination and deliver better value for money”. They added: “We have extended the deadline as we have had so much interest. We want to this to be as competitive a process as possible, so have given a further opportunity for interested firms to apply.”
The Lawyer understands the regulator has not yet made a decision of the final number of firms that will make up the new panel.
The SRA is currently locked in talks with Government over its bid for independence from the Law Society. The society opposes the changes and told MPs in June that plans to give the SRA and other regulators full independence should be shelves because of uncertainty caused by Britain’s decision to leave the EU.
The regulator is also continuing to probe UK law firm’s links to controversial offshore companies following the Panama Papers leaks in April. The watchdog asked a number of firms to carry out an internal review of their links to Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca following the leak.
The post SRA to overhaul legal panel amid bid for independence appeared first on The Lawyer | Legal News and Jobs | Advancing the business of law.