What happens if a solicitor's practice is closed down by its regulator (the SRA)?

If you are a client of a firm of solicitors or conveyancers that has been closed down it can be very worrying. You may be concerned about what will happen with a matter the firm was assisting you with, any money you paid on account or any documents the firm held on your behalf.

Your first step should be to contact the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) through their website or by telephone on 0370 606 2555. They will be able to advise you on the answers to these questions and what you need to do.

If you have an urgent legal matter with which you need assistance, the team at Boys & Maughan will be happy to step in. Please get in touch to see how we can help.

Why would the SRA close down a solicitors’ practice?
The SRA may intervene in solicitors’ firms to protect the interests of clients the public and the solicitors’ profession. Before closing down the firm, the SRA must have concerns that the clients' interests are at risk. Intervention is a protective step.

What happens when the SRA closes down a law firm?
When the SRA closes down a firm, funds are arranged to be transferred to the SRA and an intervention agent (another firm of solicitors) will be asked to hold the firm's papers safely. These will include clients’ deeds, documents, case files and papers.

The intervention agent will try to contact all the clients and ask what they want done with their papers, although they may not be able to do that straight away.

What should you do if you are a client of the practice which has been closed down?
If you are a client or former client of a practice which has closed down, you should contact the intervention agent straight away and consider instructing another firm of solicitors local to you to act on your behalf going forward. This is especially important if your case is urgent.

Usually, the intervention agent will not want to act for you in the long term although they may be able to assist in exceptional circumstances, for example if you are completing a property purchase the same or the next day after the intervention. In any event, the intervention agent may be in another part of the country, several hundred miles away from where you live.

Contact the Solicitors Regulation Authority
If you need advice or assistance, please contact the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) through their website or by telephone on 0370 606 2555.

Get help with a legal matter from our experts
If the solicitor you normally use is no longer in business, the team at Boys & Maughan will be happy to help with your legal needs. Where appropriate, we can take over a matter that is already in progress or provide support for any new matters with which you need assistance.

As a long established High Street legal practice, we offer a range of legal services including:

To get in touch with our solicitors fill in our simple online enquiry form to request a call back.

The contents of this article are intended for general information purposes only and shall not be deemed to be, or constitute legal advice. We cannot accept responsibility for any loss as a result of acts or omissions taken in respect of this article.