The SRA has published substantially revised guidance on effective supervision following the Court of Appeal’s decision in Mazur v Others.
The updated guidance provides greater clarity on the supervision of non-authorised staff carrying out litigation-related work and sets out the SRA’s expectations regarding delegation, oversight, accountability and record-keeping.
Importantly, the guidance reflects the Court of Appeal’s confirmation that non-authorised individuals may undertake tasks that form part of the conduct of litigation, provided they do so on behalf of an authorised person who retains responsibility and exercises appropriate direction, supervision and control.
The revised guidance is significantly more detailed than the previous version and includes practical examples and case studies to assist firms in assessing whether their supervision arrangements are effective and compliant.
Firms should review their supervision policies, management controls and file management procedures to ensure they can demonstrate appropriate oversight, particularly where work is delegated to paralegals, legal assistants or other non-authorised team members.
The updated SRA guidance can be found here: SRA Effective Supervision Guidance
If you would like assistance reviewing your firm’s supervision arrangements, policies or compliance framework in light of the Mazur decision, please get in touch.
