Ends 12-year tenure at the top
The chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is set to step down later this year, as the watchdog continues to face criticism over the Axiom Ince debacle and ongoing issues with the SQE.
Paul Philip took on the role in 2014 and will retire from the SRA “towards the end of 2025, once a suitable replacement has been found,” according to a notice from the regulator.
Philip, alongside SRA chair Anne Bradley, has come under fire for the SRAs handling of the Axiom Ince collapse. A report by the regulator’s regulator, the Legal Services Board, said last year that the SRA “did not act adequately, effectively and efficiently” and failed to “take all the steps it could or should have taken”.
As a result, it concluded, “the SRA’s actions and omissions in this matter necessitate change in its procedures to mitigate the possibility of a similar situation arising again”.
The regulator has also taken some flak for its implementation of the new SQE. Since its introduction in 2021, the SQE route to qualification has come under criticism as candidates have been forced to contend with clunky online booking systems, disruptive tech issues and marking blunders.
SRA boss Anna Bradley has acknowledged these issues, stating that “there have inevitably been some teething problems” with the new system and promising to continue responding to “feedback about the candidate experience”.
Commenting on his decision to step down, Philip said:
“It has been a privilege to be able to play such a key role regulating in the public interest. There is always more you would like to do and achieve, but I am proud of the progress we have made. After so long at the helm, this feels like the right time to retire and switch pace. But before then, there is a lot of significant work to progress. I then look forward to handing over to a new Chief Executive later in the year.”
