The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has urged firms to take care with vulnerable clients and uphold standards even if legal aid cuts are in force.
The SRA believes the risk of standards falling may increase if the government’s legal aid changes are introduced. The authority’s press release said the SRA was ‘particularly alive’ to the risks of the most vulnerable members of society not receiving the right service.
Appropriate client care is a key requirement in the new outcomes-focused regulation regime and the SRA is now calling on solicitors to maintain high standards.
Samantha Barrass, SRA executive director, said: ‘Firms need to think carefully about how to deliver an appropriate approach to client care for those who may be vulnerable for any physical, social, or psychological reasons.’
She added: ‘We think at least some firms already need to consider their systems and processes with this in mind.’
Compliance under the new rules, Barrass said, did not mean dealing with all clients in the same way, but instead adapting their methods to fit the needs of the individual. Principle five of the new code of conduct deals with the standard of service to clients, while a number of listed outcomes add more detail about how this should be achieved.
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