Before a firm can offer legal services, the SRA must authorise it — and that authorisation shapes everything about how the firm is owned, run, and held to account. As a solicitor, you need to know which firms can do which work, who carries personal responsibility for compliance, and how the SRA responds when standards slip. These rules sit behind every matter you handle and protect both clients and the public.
What this lesson covers:
- Authorisation and Firm Categories — the six reserved legal activities and the three types of firm the SRA authorises, from traditional law firms to ABS.
- Fit and Proper Persons and Compliance Officers — the suitability test for non-lawyer owners and managers, and the COLP and COFA roles every firm must appoint.
- Client Money and Indemnity Insurance — the core obligations for handling client money and the insurance every authorised firm must maintain.
- Authorisation Decisions and Enforcement — how the SRA decides applications and the graduated powers it uses against firms that fall short, up to intervention.
- Holding Out — what non-solicitor staff may do, and the trouble that follows if a client is misled about who is handling their matter.