SRA Update
Issue 145 - November 2025
Welcome to the latest issue of SRA Update. This month:
- Our new Chief Executive shares her priorities and plans for engaging with the sector
- Read what is in our 2025/26 Business Plan
- Access resources to help you navigate ethical challenges
- Stay up-to-date on how AML will be regulated in the future
- Register for our webinar on safeguarding client money
- Contribute to a survey on barriers and opportunities to innovation
As she takes up her post this month, hear from our new Chief Executive, Sarah Rapson, on her high-level priorities and plans to get out and about to engage with the legal profession and wider stakeholders.
Read more about: Hear from the new Chief Executive, Sarah Rapson
Our Business Plan laying out our priorities for the next 12 months has now been published, outlining how we will drive trust and confidence in a rapidly changing legal market. Our four strategic priorities remain unchanged, but we have moved quickly to develop new, significant programmes of work. These include work to protect client money and the interests of clients in high-volume claims cases.
Recent high-profile examples of poor ethical conduct could damage trust and confidence in the profession. Conduct falling short of our ethical standards can range from unintentional behaviour with limited consequences through to deliberate acts causing serious consumer detriment. We have a range of guidance brought together in one place to help you navigate the ethics maze.
Read more about: One-stop shop for ethics guidance and support
The Government has announced that the Financial Conduct Authority will become the single professional services supervisor for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing. A consultation on how this will work is now open. We will continue our activities to supervise in this area ahead of any transition to a new approach.
Read more about: Government announces future changes to AML regulation
The number of reports we received about potential breaches of anti-money laundering rules and activity in the last year has almost doubled. Find out more about the reasons for these breaches and the action taken, in our latest AML annual report.
Read more about: Find out the main reasons for AML breaches in our latest annual report
Want to find out more about our planned consultation on proposals to improve how client money is protected in legal services? Then join our free webinar on Thursday 11 December at 10am. Our panel will cover possible changes to the accountants’ reports regime, the role of compliance officers, new checks and balances within law firms, and additional oversight when firms make significant changes to their business.
Read more about: Join our webinar - strengthening client money safeguards
Should the term ‘no win, no fee’ be banned? Should we have different authorisation processes for firms working in high volume claims? These are the types of questions we ask in a discussion paper inviting views on the way the market for high-volume claims is operating. The discussion paper is open for feedback until 14 November.
Read more about: Have your say on our high-volume claims work
The Legal Services Board commissioned an independent review of our handling of SSB Law Group Ltd (SSB). This involved assessing reports made about SSB from Jan 2019 – March 2024 and how we responded. We have apologised to those clients affected and accepted the recommendations of the review to address the failures identified.
Read more about: Legal Services Board publishes report into SSB investigation
We want to hear about your experiences and perceptions on the facilitators and blockers of innovation. We also want to know how we can best support adoption and broader uptake in the legal sector. Complete our survey to feed your thoughts into our processes.
Read more about: Tell us how we can support your ideas for innovation
From onboarding and triage to negotiation and summarising, our latest issue of Lawtech Insight covers the top use cases for generative AI throughout the workflow of any typical legal task.
Interested in a career with us? We are currently recruiting or will be recruiting for roles in Legal Quality Assurance (legally qualified roles), Information Security, Business Improvement, and Investigations and Policy. Find out more about our current vacancies or sign up to job alerts to keep informed of future vacancies on our jobs page.
Welcome to the latest issue of Compliance News. This month:
- Find out the main reasons for AML breaches in our latest annual report
- Read our thematic review into source of funds and wealth compliance and access new resources
- Missed it? Then don't miss out, you can watch our virtual Compliance Officers Conference on demand
- Stay up to date on our sanctions checks and the government's new sanctions general licence
Our virtual Compliance Officers Conference took place last week following a record-breaking attendance at our event in Birmingham in October. Thank you to everyone who came on the day or who has watched our online sessions. For those of you who missed out, fear not, because you can now catch-up via our on-demand facility, where you can learn about common Accounts Rules enquiries, checking source of funds for AML purposes and how to record your continuing competence.
We have produced additional resources for firms following the publication of the thematic review into source of funds and source of wealth. The review looked at three years of data and we spoke to firms about compliance challenges they faced. It includes guidance, checklists, common questions and information for clients.
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) has issued a new General Licence, which took effect on 28 October 2025. This replaces several earlier legal-services licences. Firms should update internal policies, client onboarding procedures and billing processes to align with the new requirements.
Awaab’s Law came into effect from 27 October in England, making sure health and safety hazards in social housing are addressed quickly by landlords. This could result in an increase in housing disrepair claims being brought. If you are likely to advertise for such work, please read our warning notice on marketing your services to the public.
Read more about: Check you know rules about marketing to clients
Our annual anti-money laundering (AML) and sanctions data collection exercise has provided insight into how firms are managing their financial sanctions obligations. As a result we will be increasing our engagement and support in the coming months.
Read more about: Next steps to follow after sanctions exercise
HM Treasury is conducting its Frozen Asset Review. If you hold or control funds or economic resources belonging to, owned, held, or controlled by a designated person, you are required to submit a report by 30 November 2025.
We have published our view that the recent High Court judgment in the Mazur case does not change the position in law. Non-authorised individuals can support litigation, but only an authorised individual, such as a solicitor, should be conducting litigation. We have pulled together resources to help your firm satisfy itself that it is complying with the Legal Services Act.
Read more about: Get clarity on Mazur case and conducting litigation
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