Plans that would require non-practising solicitors to complete and pay for an annual application to say ‘on the roll’ are being negotiated.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is consulting on plans that would bring them an extra £2.4 million, requiring lawyers, whether retired or working in-house to pay between £30 and £40 each year to comply with data protection law.
Those who fail to comply would be dismissed from the roll and unable to refer to themselves as a non-practising solicitor.
More than 210,000 solicitors are currently on the roll; with over 60,000 classed as non-practising.
Until 2014, all solicitors without practising certificates were required to complete an application each year. They would pay an administration fee if they wanted to stay on the roll. The SRA decided not to continue updating the roll annually for non-practising solicitors.
The regulator says new IT systems will make the process of maintaining personal records considerably less arduous for solicitors.