The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to phase in its new online practising certificate registration and renewal system, following delays caused by implementation problems. Selected firms will begin using the new system this week, after the regulator decided that it does not plan to revert to paper-based renewals for 2011/12. A staged introduction will minimise the potential disruption for firms and provide time for testing, it said.

The deadline for the renewals process has now been extended to an unspecified date in the New Year. Practising certificates; registrations for registered European lawyers and registered foreign lawyers; firm recognitions; and sole practitioner authorisations will remain valid in the interim period caused by the late start of the process.

The deadline for activating mySRA accounts has also been extended into the New Year. Some 100,000 accounts have been activated so far.

‘We are very aware that the changing date has caused a great deal of disruption to some members of the profession, for which we are very sorry,’ said SRA chief executive Antony Townsend. ‘The decision we faced last week was whether to revert to a paper-based system. This would have the advantage of certainty, but it is very inefficient and would cost the profession a lot of money. We are very close to rolling out the new system. Phasing it in will enable us to test it thoroughly first.

'If we have to revert to paper-based renewals we will do so, but that would be an expensive and cumbersome option and is, therefore, a last resort.'

In addition to IT problems, data on the present system - some of it decades old - has being found to be unreliable, which Townsend said has added to the complexity of the project.

Transferring the renewals process online, which will enable the SRA to cut staff numbers by about 75, is expected to save the profession about £5m a year.

Members of the profession are asked to visit the SRA website on Thursday November 24 for a further update.