Outsourcing is a common feature of many law firms’ business models. It can offer benefits to firms and their clients in cost and efficiency.
It is important for SRA-regulated law firms and individuals to identify key outsourcing compliance issues, including when taking outsourced services offshore. This will ensure the approach taken to outsourcing reflects requirements in the SRA Standards and Regulations as well as general good practice when outsourcing legal activities or operational functions.
At its simplest, outsourcing is using a third party to provide services that you could otherwise provide. The third-party outsourced service provider will instead provide those services using their own personnel (and often facilities).
In theory you can outsource anything so long as you comply with the law and regulatory requirements. You cannot however abrogate your responsibility for compliance with the SRA’s requirements and you will always remain accountable to the SRA where your work is carried out through others.
You also cannot outsource the provision of reserved legal services to a provider that is not authorised by the SRA (or another regulator) to provide reserved legal services.
There...
To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.
**Trials are provided to all LexisNexis content, excluding Practice Compliance, Practice Management and Risk and Compliance, subscription packages are tailored to your specific needs. To discuss trialling these LexisNexis services please email customer service via our online form. Free trials are only available to individuals based in the UK, Ireland and selected UK overseas territories and Caribbean countries. We may terminate this trial at any time or decide not to give a trial, for any reason. Trial includes one question to LexisAsk during the length of the trial.
This week's edition of Practice Compliance weekly highlights includes OFSI’s imposition of a £4.7 million penalty on Citibank London for 970 sanctions...
The Joint Money Laundering Steering Group (JMLSG) has published final amendments to Part I of its guidance, revising Paragraphs 2.9, 5.2.4A, 5.3.94A,...
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) has imposed a monetary penalty of £4,732,830.58 on Citibank, N.A., London Branch (CBNA London)...
HM Treasury (HMT) has announced its intention to double the maximum fine available to the Office for Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) from...
If a rentcharge is shown as being informally exonerated on title information, does this apply to the current registered owner? Or does the informal exoneration only apply to the parties to the document which informally exonerated the rentcharge?This Q&A considers the situation where, at some point
Late payment penalties—inheritance taxWhile interest often accrues on overdue tax, the late payment of certain taxes may also attract a penalty. For information on the interest accruing on overdue tax, see Practice Notes: IHT—payment deadlines on death—Interest on IHT and Interest on late paid
Strike out—making an application to strike out a statement of caseA strike out order can be made either following an application by the parties or on the court's own initiative. This Practice Note deals with the scenario of the order being made following a party's application.Making an application
Contributory negligence in personal injury claimsContributory negligence is a partial defence which can lead to a discount in damages.Other defences may also be relevant. See Practice Notes: Did the claimant consent to the risk of injury? and Was the claimant involved in an illegal activity?If a
0330 161 1234