SRA to add tech to competence statement
The body that regulates the solicitors' profession in England and Wales wants to extend the framework of competence for practitioners to include ethics and technology.
The Egland-and-Wales Law Society Gazette says that the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is proposing changes to its ten-year-old Statement of Solicitor Competence.
The statement sets out what is required of practitioners and provides clients with a clear indication of what they can expect of those they instruct.
The revised statement is subject to a consultation that runs until 3 December.
The Gazette says that ethics is a key element of the possible revisions, with solicitors potentially expected to understand and apply their ethical duties and be able to prioritise when they come into conflict with each other.
They would also be expected to understand when and how to raise concerns about ethical issues or unethical behaviour.
AI understanding
In the section of the statement of competence dealing with legal knowledge, there is a proposed, explicit addition that solicitors should understand technology – including AI – as well as law.
The Gazette says that the changes are likely to have been influenced by the Post Office Horizon scandal, in which lawyers have been criticised for not understanding which of their duties took priority and for not reporting misconduct they might have encountered.
The proposed changes have been drawn up following feedback from nearly 150 solicitors, law firms, educators, representative bodies, and academics.