A regulator unwilling to regulate
I submitted a detailed complaint supported by documentary evidence alleging breaches of the SRA Principles and Code of Conduct. Rather than investigating the regulatory issues, the SRA largely characterised them as matters for the civil courts.
My complaint concerned the conduct of a regulated firm, not the merits of the underlying dispute. Yet the regulator appeared more willing to defer to the firm's explanations than to scrutinise whether the standards expected of solicitors had been met.
The SRA exists to uphold public confidence in the profession. Based on my experience, its intervention threshold is so high that consumers should have little expectation of meaningful regulatory action, even where credible evidence is presented.
A regulator that is reluctant to regulate risks becoming little more than an observer.