SRA rates itself as 'undertaking improvement' in 'humble' gesture to LSB

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has given itself a 'humble' rating in its 2015 self-assessment to the Legal Services Board (LSB).

SRA chair Enid Rowlands said it had been a close call as to whether the work of the regulator could be classified as 'satisfactory' or 'undertaking improvement and work is well underway' but the decision to submit the latter reflected there were still significant pieces of work to do.

Significantly, the regulator's board decided to make its self-assessment public this year, discussing it openly during the public part of its board meeting held in Birmingham yesterday. Previous self-assessments have remained confidential.

Rowlands said this transparent approach reflected the new space the regulator is now in, where it is seeking to engage with the 'outside' and become 'well regarded and well respected by the profession and efficient and effective in its operations.'

The SRA's chief executive, Paul Philip, said that while he was happy with the grading, he would place the emphasis on 'well' in the clause 'work is well underway.'

During the discussions, board member David Willis suggested the regulator could have given itself the higher grading of 'satisfactory', but his colleague on the board, Jane Furniss, senior independent director, thought the SRA was 'wise to be modest.'

Willis's concern was that since the SRA sets high standards for itself, it might always find room for improvement and therefore never reach satisfactory.

In the media briefing which followed, Rowlands answered her own question. 'Will I be content to have the same grading in a year's time? Possibly not,' she said.

Board member Graham Chisnall, chair of the finance and resources committee, felt the regulator had been constrained in its self-assessment by the framework of the particular questions asked of it by the LSB, and this had served to underplay improvements it had made.

The LSB had asked the SRA how it works with other regulators; how it aligns its work streams; whether it has established a quality assurance team; and how it collects information.

The super regulator also asked the SRA several questions around its own five regulatory standards - outcomes focused regulation risk assessment; supervision; enforcement; and capacity and capability.

Rowlands agreed the SRA had been 'asked to fit in the LSB shoe but the shoe was not necessarily comfortable'.

To alleviate concerns among her board members, she agreed to express this in her covering letter that would go with the self-assessment to the LSB and which she hoped would represent 'the totality'.

Leah Darbyshire is community manager of the Legal Compliance Association and head of events at ARK @LCACompliance www.legalcomplianceassociation.co.uk