The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has published its Annual Review. Covering its structure, culture and funding, and reporting on its work over the 2017/18 practising year the Review also outlines the Authority’s aspirations for the year ahead.

Key points in the Review include:

• 11,508 complaints about solicitors/firms were received, with reports of incompetence, negligence or delays the most common raised by the public, and identity theft or bogus firms the most common from the profession.
• £18.1 million was paid out from the Compensation Fund, up £2.9 million from last year, most commonly for issues linked to inheritance and property.
• There were 10.5 million views of content on the SRA’s website, including 690,000 law firm or solicitor record searches and more than 153,000 views of scam alerts.
• The average time taken to authorise firms/solicitors, assess complaints and conduct investigations have all improved year-on-year.
• The review also provides data on the number, gender and ethnicity of regulated solicitors within England and Wales, as well as the law firms they work within.