Some news sources are reporting further changes to the forthcoming COLP and COFA regime in the new Standards and Regulations. The Legal Services Board have this morning published a decision notice covering possible changes to the forthcoming rules; the SRA are yet to confirm the position on their website, or in the pending Standards and Regulations.

The possible changes arguably widen the position on reporting to the SRA, covering “facts or matters that you now reasonably believe are capable of amounting” to a serious breach, and “ensuring that the SRA is informed of any facts or matters that you reasonably believe should be bought to its attention”. In a letter to the Legal Services Board, the SRA has also suggested that reporting a matter to the COLP will not discharge a duty where the staff member does not believe the COLP will report it, however no changes have been proposed to the draft rule in Regulation 7 – Co-operation and Accountability.

These changes were drafted in February 2019, but were not included as pending when the SRA published their Standards and Regulations in March 2019. Our webinar, based on the SRA’s published pending position from March 2019, can be found here. The proposed potential changes can be found here.

We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available. To hear more about the changing position, discuss the role of the COLP and COFA, and debate the new Standards and Regulations, please book a place on one of our forthcoming seminars in London, Birmingham and Manchester.