Regulatory and disciplinary

Leigh Day’s reputation as a firm that takes on cases for ”Davids” against institutional and corporate “Goliaths” means we are committed to achieving the best outcome for you, in spite of any apparent obstacles. Uniquely, we have experienced first-hand and on behalf of clients the impact dealing with an investigation or prosecution by a well-resourced and at times over-zealous regulator can have. We use this insight to help our clients to fight their corner and to protect their livelihood and professional reputation. We also use it as a launch pad for awareness campaigns to encourage professionals to ensure they have a robust action plan and affordable resource in place in case they are called on to explain themselves to their regulator.

Read more about our first-hand experience and our work here:

• Leigh Day in the clear as High Court throws out SRA appeal
• Walking a knife edge: the exposure of law firms to regulatory investigation and prosecution defence costs
• Dealing with an SRA investigation: we all need to walk the line

We are leaders in driving the discussion around important issues arising in professional discipline and impacting our clients. These include the over-prosecution of junior professionals (especially junior lawyers) and the overrepresentation of people from the Global Majority in professional regulators’ enforcement work (in particular the Solicitors Regulation Authority). Our work is driven by a determination to achieve a fairer, more consistent regulatory process for everyone regardless of their individual characteristics, not the exclusive reserve of those lucky enough to have the financial resources to afford the expert advice and support you need to make sure your voice heard – and listened to.

Professional regulators have been slow to reflect the general societal shift toward a more compassionate approach to and nuanced understanding of the importance of wellbeing, especially “invisible” challenges experienced by many such as mental ill-health. We understand that a regulated professional is a whole person, not simply defined by a professional title as an “Associate Solicitor” or a “Senior Social Worker”. Through our client and advocacy work writing for leading sector publications, we raise awareness around the relevance of ill-health – physical and mental – in regulatory matters. We also encourage regulators to make their processes more humane and understanding of the acute stressors that can impact on an individual’s ability to carry out their work. Read more about our work in this area at the links below:

• What has wellbeing got to do with ethics?
• Mental health matters
• When should a lawyer admit to being ill?

Our team of regulatory, compliance and professional disciplinary lawyers will work with you to assess your particular situation and give you the advice and support you need.