Following consultation last year, the SRA Innovate initiative will continue to encourage the development of new services while ensuring proper safeguards for the public are in place. Early indications from the pilots are that this type of facility is useful for small firms, larger providers and new entrants to the legal services market.
The opportunity for the provider to work with the SRA as they developed their thinking helped to provide assurance that the proposals were in the interests of the users of legal services. The SRA are also changing their ‘waivers’ process. Existing or new firms can already apply for specific rules to be waived, allowing them to run their business in the way that suits them best. By simplifying this process and making the criteria clearer, the SRA want to help firms understand what might be possible. The SRA will publish any waivers granted to make sure the process is fair and transparent, without compromising commercial confidentiality.
The responses to the consultation and decision can be found here:
An initial version of SRA Innovate was launched in the spring of 2016. It offers a collection of resources and access to advice to help firms who want to innovate.