Accreditation

The Law Society has responded to the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) consultation paper on accreditation, saying that best practice schemes should be run by solicitors themselves. The regulator’s role is to set minimum standards while the aim of voluntary accreditation schemes is to demonstrate additional expertise beyond such minimum standards. The SRA should concentrate on ensuring that solicitors reach a threshold of competence across all areas of practice through appropriate education and training and by developing and enforcing a regulatory regime. Voluntary schemes are valuable in helping solicitors demonstrate additional expertise and solicitors themselves, through their professional body or practitioner groups should be responsible for operating them.