The Solicitors Regulation Authority has doubled down on its transparency push as it approaches 500 firms that have fallen foul of new rules.

Since May 2023, the regulator has issued 439 official warnings and 36 fixed penalty fines to law firms in relation to transparency rules, it has revealed. These largely result from the SRA’s ongoing proactive checking of firm websites and asking firms to complete declarations that they are compliant with the rules. In total, changes have been made to more than 500 previously non-compliant sites.

The regulator has now updated its support for how to comply with the rules, including publishing pricing templates that can be used on firm websites. It has also launched a voluntary code for price comparison websites as they seek to compete for signposting potential legal services consumers.

The SRA requires firms to publish price and service information for certain areas of law, although it does not go as far as its counterpart CILEx Regulation, which announced last month it wants its firms to display all price information. It is understood the solicitors regulator is open to extending its requirements and will be monitoring the impact of the CILEx Regulation decision.

Paul Philip, SRA chief executive, said: 'Transparency is a key aspect of trust in legal services. By providing clear, accessible pricing information, firms not only comply with regulations but also empower consumers to make informed choices.

'Our new resources aim to help firms realise the tangible business benefits of transparency and the positive impact it can have on their client relationships.'

Under the new comparison website code, sites must commit to being independent and not owned, controlled or managed by legal services providers. They must also provide easily accessible, clear information about any commercial relationships they have with law firms and any referral arrangements that exist. These websites may publish only reviews they reasonably believed to be from clients or prospective clients of the legal services provider and must offer a facility for firms to respond'.

 

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