On July 1, 2024, the Board of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) approved a potential extension of its regulatory remit to cover Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) members. CILEX is one of the approved regulators designated in the Legal Services Act 2007. The SRA Board’s decision follows a 2022 expression of interest from CILEX, in moving the powers to regulate its members from its own independent regulatory authority, CILEX Regulation, to the SRA.
In its consultations on this request, the SRA has stated its view that by regulating CILEX members it would help to streamline the legal regulatory landscape in England and Wales, improving public understanding and trust in regulation, reducing regulatory costs, and eliminating duplication in the system. The SRA has nonetheless assured both CILEX members and solicitors that their separate educational routes and codes of conduct would be preserved.
If CILEX members agree to proceed with this re-delegation, the final approval would need to be granted by the Legal Services Board.
This initiative would represent a move towards simplifying the complex regulatory framework established in the 2007 Act, which has often been described by commentators as in need of simplification.