Hundreds of legal disciplinary practices (LDPs) have been given more time to decide how to approach the new era of legal services regulation.

Under the terms of the 2007 Legal Services Act, some 250 LDPs in England and Wales with non-lawyer managers must decide whether to become alternative business structures or to remove non-lawyers from their management structures.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority had previously indicated that the decision would have to be made this year. However the SRA said it is currently writing to all non-lawyer LDPs to explain how the transition will work. The Gazette understands a deadline has been extended to April 2013, subject to confirmation from the Legal Services Board.

The 260 LDPs with all-lawyer management can continue unaffected.