News

Transparency rules – act now or face action

08 March 2021

We continue to tackle non-compliance with our transparency rules. We have already approached 2,000 randomly selected firms to check they are following the rules, and will be checking on thousands more over the coming months.

Where we find firms are not following the rules we can and will take action. We have 102 disciplinary investigations currently ongoing where a firm has confirmed they are not complying with the rules or we have checked their website and found they are not. We have also completed disciplinary action against a number of firms, resulting in fines of up to £2,000 being issued.

The transparency rules are important as they are designed to help people find the information they need to make informed decisions about services available to them.

Introduced in December 2018, the rules mean that firms with a website should publish basic, indicative information about the price of certain services, information about who might carry out the work, and details of your complaints processes. You must also display the SRA clickable logo, which links through to information confirming who you are and explaining the protections the public gets from using a regulated law firm.

Our research has shown that since the rules were introduced, more potential clients believe solicitors are affordable, and firms would recommend the business benefits that greater transparency about prices bring. The continued Covid-19 lockdown has also made it even more vital that firms have a useful online presence as consumers use the internet to shop for services from home.

Support materials explaining what information you are required to publish is available on our website. You can also watch a webinar from our most recent Compliance Officer Conference discussing the rules.