The SRA Transparency Rules require solicitors to publish price information on their websites in the following practice areas:
- Residential conveyancing
- Probate
- Motoring offences
- Immigration
- Employment tribunals (public and businesses)
- Licensing applications (businesses)
- Debt recovery (businesses)
Remember that:
- Pricing information means the typical overall cost and the basis of charging e.g. hourly rate or fixed fee
- You need to include disbursements and VAT, being specific about the current rates that apply
- Where it is impossible to anticipate disbursements, give a realistic range based on your experience
- There also needs to be information about the people carrying out these services, including their qualifications and experience – and you should link to this directly from the pricing information
- All pricing and service information should be easy to find (‘prominent’) on your website – this means putting it in the same pages that describe the services, rather than buried in a footer
- The SRA Guidance includes some template price and service wording to get you started
ALL SRA-Regulated firms’ websites also need to display:
- The SRA Digital Badge (aka ‘clickable logo’)
- Complaints procedure, which includes how to escalate complaints to the Legal Ombudsman and the SRA
- The words “Authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority”
- SRA number
There is also a general obligation for publicity to be accurate and not misleading.
In November 2019 – a year after the Transparency Rules came into force – only 25% of solicitors’ websites were compliant
The SRA is willing to issue fines for non-compliance. We have seen fines of £1,000 (plus costs) with practising restrictions.
Contact us for a Website Compliance Audit.
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