Every solicitor practises under the SRA Principles and Code of Conduct. They define the ethical baseline of the profession — how you treat clients, how you handle your own and others' work, and how you respond when something goes wrong. These obligations follow you everywhere: into client meetings, into delegation decisions, and even into conduct outside the office. Getting them right protects your clients, your firm and your own ability to keep practising.
This lesson takes you through that framework from the top down, then into the practical duties you will rely on daily.
What this lesson covers:
- Regulatory Framework and the SRA Principles — how the Principles, the Individual Code and the Firms Code fit together, which duties prevail when they clash, and why they apply at all times.
- Competence and Supervision — what acting only where competent means, and the personal accountability you carry for work done under your supervision.
- Business Rules, Reserved Activities and Reporting — referral fees, unsolicited approaches, refusing criminal instructions, the six reserved legal activities, and your duty to report serious breaches.