The Difference Between SRA and CLC

1. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SRA AND CLC Conveyancing solicitors and licensed conveyancers are different sides of the same coin. The main difference between them is their regulatory bodies. All solicitors in England and Wales are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and registered with The Law Society, whereas licensed conveyancers are regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC). Different standards for SRA and CLC Although they are separate, both licensed conveyancers and solicitors have a similar set of standards and guidelines which their members must abide by, but what are the main differences between SRA and CLC. The Administration of Justice Act 1985 Before 1985, homebuyers and sellers had little option but to use a conveyancing solicitor. However, the burgeoning number of legal resources used by solicitors meant that the industry itself had to expand in order to deal with the demands of the growing number of people buying and selling property. The 1985 Administration of Justice Act enabled licensed conveyancers to supply their services and are described by the CLC as: “A qualified specialist lawyer who concentrates solely on dealing with property or conveyancing.

2. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SRA AND CLC? Solicitors are generally trained in several legal fields, ranging from criminal law through to litigation and family law. After finishing their training, they can decide to specialise in a specific area of law or continue covering a number of areas, as many high street solicitors do. This can be an advantage when it comes to legal issues that can be connected to conveyancing, such as wills and probate, for example. Perhaps the downside to this may mean your solicitor is sometimes harder to get hold of. Standards for licensed conveyancers The legal Services Act 2007 introduced regulatory objectives for licensed conveyancers who must champion the interests of consumers by: Protecting and promoting public interest Supporting the constitutional principle of the rule of law Improving access to justice Protecting and promoting the interests of consumers Promoting competition in the provision of services Encouraging an independent, strong, diverse and effective legal profession Council for licensed conveyancers regulations The Council of Licensed Conveyancers have been regulating licensed conveyancers in England and Wales for over 25 years. Recently, the CLC extended their field of expertise to include related legal services such as probate. The mission of the CLC is to protect the public interest, and they have set out a Code of Conduct, which requires licensed conveyancers to: Act with integrity and independence Maintain high standards of work Act in the best interests of clients Comply with a duty to the court (if applicable to the case) Deal with regulators and ombudsmen in an open and co-operative way Standards for conveyancing solicitors The SRA was established in 2007 with an aim to ensure professional performance and secure the quality of service and behaviour of solicitors. The Law Society operates separately and also regulates various actions and acts in favour of the public interest. However, both these organisations dovetail in their overall objective to provide confidence to the public in the legal profession.

3. THE LAW SOCIETY The Law Society’s main remit is: To maintain an accurate and up-to-date solicitor’s register To make the public aware of the duties of solicitors Provide guidance for constant development in solicitor’s careers Solicitors Regulation Authority As stated above, the main aim of the SRA is to protect the interests of clients seeking legal assistance. Some of the SRAs activities in this regard include: Regularly monitoring organisations that provide formal legal training for solicitors Setting the rules of conduct and regulations around ethical issues, which affect the professionalism of solicitors, are created by the SRA to ensure they protect client’s interest first and foremost. Checking solicitors and solicitor firms, and make sure they are abiding by the rules and regulations Update law enforcement agencies and other regulators to give maximum protection to the rights of the public SRA and CLC difference - The choice is yours A conveyancing solicitor has the benefit of many years of training and experience of handling and studying all aspects of property law. Licensed conveyancers only ever train in property law but have gone through rigorous practical training and examinations. So the decision whether you use a licensed conveyancer or solicitor should be one that best suits your needs and circumstances. Specialist conveyancing practices have a mix of solicitors and licensed conveyancers and can offer a number of features that help to ensure a smooth conveyancing process and move. Things such as online case tracking facilities and email or text updates can all help speed up the process and make it more efficient. Online Conveyancing Solicitors offer a mix of SRA conveyancing solicitors and CLC licenced conveyancers. You can also find out more about how the online conveyancing process works in our article here. Ultimately the choice between SRA and CLC is yours. www.onlineconveyancingsolicitors.co.uk