One might have thought that non-practising solicitors could have a bit more time on their hands to deal with their admin – but not enough time for some, it would appear.

The SRA’s keeping of the roll exercise for 2023 has now concluded, with around 27,000 names removed from the list.

For the first time since 2014, the regulator updated its list of 60,000 solicitors no longer in practice.

The application window was open for 56 days, closing at the end of May. That was not long enough for some 2,020 people who missed the deadline but appealed within the allowed 28-day window. To date, the SRA has processed around 565 of these appeals.

Illustration of a stopclock counting down the minutes to a deadline

2,020 people missed the SRA's deadline

Source: iStock

The outcome is a total of 33,627 non-practising solicitors who have applied to stay on the roll (the drop may seem large, but will include those who have sadly died since 2014 when the roll was last updated).

Given the £20 administration fee, that means the SRA boosting its coffers with a not-insubstantial extra £672,540. The regulator says that taking into account the administrative costs of running the exercise, including the development of a new ICT application, the now-annual renewal activity can expect to break even within three years.

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