The consultation, running from the 4 March – 27 March follows increased concerns about the level of stress solicitors are experiencing as well as reports of bullying and harassment.
The consultation addresses two key issues:
- The SRA has seen instances of serious, unfair and inappropriate treatment in the work place.
- There has been an increase in cases in which a solicitors health issues have impacted their ability to conduct their work safely, potentially endangering the general public.
The proposed changes would provide explicit regulatory obligations to individuals and firms to treat colleagues with respect and dignity and to equip the SRA with the ability to take appropriate action where a solicitor’s health affects their fitness to practise.