Legal News & Cardiff & District Law Society hosted the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) for an update on the changes to standards and regulations post November 25 2019, and an essential update on the SRA’s approach to Covid-19 and it’s support for the profession and members of the public.
Carol Westrop, Head of Legal Policy & Advice at the SRA, outlined feedback and concerns from the profession in light of the regulatory changes since November, provided an overview of the steps ahead for solicitors and the SRA and also offered a platform for concerns to be raised by solicitors in light of Covid-19.
Some the questions raised in the Q&A session covered the following themes:
- The impact on furloughed trainee solicitors – what can / can’t be counted towards their training contract while furloughed.
- Whether firms that have applied for the Welsh Government Economic Resilience Fund (where they have to show a 40% or 60% reduction in income) need to declare financial instability to the SRA
Carol’s response to these questions is captured in the audio file, below.
We will update readers on whether furloughed staff that are undertaking training while not working can use their new skills to count towards their training contract.
The full video presentation can be viewed below, along with the audio Q&A session, and Carol’s slides can be accessed here.
Event video – presentation
Please note: this event was live.
Q&A session – audio only
Useful links
- The SRA’s Covid-19 information for students and trainees: sra.org.uk/sra/news/coronavirus-questions-answers/
- Being clear about Transparency Rules (sent to the profession on 5th March 2020): sra.org.uk/sra/news/sra-update-77-transparency/
- Updated Coronavirus updates from the SRA: sra.org.uk/sra/news/coronavirus-update/
Speaker profile
Carol Westrop, Head of Legal Policy & Advice, SRA
As a senior lawyer, Carol has significant experience of legal services regulation, strategic issues and policy development and providing legal advice on public law/ regulatory/compliance issues as well as leading complex professional disciplinary investigations. She qualified as solicitor in 1988, spending several years in private practice as a commercial litigator. She has a specific interest in developing and mentoring staff at all levels. Most recently she helped – with colleagues – draft and implement the SRA’s new Standards and Regulations.
With thanks to:
