The Solicitors Regulation Authority has confirmed the appointments of a panel of 23 external adjudicators, who will make decisions on regulatory matters.
The announcement follows a second appointment round, intended to improve the diversity profile and collective expertise in equality and diversity of the adjudicators appointed in the first round.
The SRA used a specialist recruiter and targeted adverts to reach as diverse a pool of applicants as possible.
The new panel is made up of 13 men and 10 women. Eleven are lay members and 12 are lawyers, with six from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, the SRA said.
Panel members include solicitors Alexandra Marks, David Phillips and Dominic Spenser-Underhill.
Adjudicators make decisions such as whether to reprimand a solicitor or refer them to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, and whether to intervene in a firm. They also make decisions on entry onto the roll of solicitors by students and foreign lawyers. For complex cases a panel of three adjudicators will make a decision.
SRA chair Peter Williamson said: ‘The SRA is committed to being a fair employer which recruits, develops and maintains a diverse workforce. We attracted an extremely high-quality pool of applicants for these roles and the panel members appointed have a wealth of experience and expertise to contribute.’
Lord Ouseley, the former chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, carried out an independent review into the SRA’s processes, which found that the SRA’s policies, practices and actions could be perceived to have disproportionate and discriminatory outcomes for ethnic minority solicitors. Since his 2008 report he has monitored the SRA’s progress against its diversity and equality strategy.
Ouseley said: ‘The SRA has demonstrated its commitment to equality, inclusion and fair treatment by the way it is now pursuing open and accountable practices and processes in all its activities.
‘This is exemplified in the way it has recruited its additional adjudicators by ensuring that it attracts applicants from all backgrounds, and considers them using objective measurable criteria to ensure that the best-qualified and experienced candidates are appointed.’
No comments yet