New legal protections aim to encourage law firm staff to report wrongdoing safely
Whistleblowers working within the legal services sector will receive enhanced legal protection when reporting wrongdoing to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) following a significant change under UK whistleblowing law.
The SRA announced on 2 June 2026 that it has been formally designated as a “prescribed person” under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA). The designation allows individuals making protected disclosures to the regulator to benefit from statutory protection against retaliation by employers.
The protection applies where a person reasonably believes they are acting in the public interest when reporting concerns to the regulator. The change extends beyond solicitors and includes a wider range of individuals working in legal services, including paralegals, clerks, trainees, and agency workers employed by or working with SRA-regulated firms and individuals.
Although solicitors already have regulatory duties requiring them to report misconduct, the SRA said the new protections are intended to encourage non-regulated staff to come forward with concerns without fear of damaging their careers.
Aileen Armstrong, the SRA’s Executive Director for Strategy and Innovation, said serious wrongdoing and risks to the public often only emerge when individuals speak up. She said concerns about professional consequences can discourage people from reporting misconduct and described the designation as “an important step” in helping staff within law firms feel safe raising concerns.
The SRA confirmed that protected disclosures can relate to conduct happening currently, misconduct that occurred in the past or wrongdoing likely to occur in the future. However, the regulator said the protection only applies to reports involving legal wrongdoing committed by individuals or firms it regulates. Complaints involving other sectors or organisations must still be directed to the appropriate regulator.
The whistleblowing charity Protect welcomed the development. Andrew Pepper-Parsons, the organisation’s Director of Policy and Communications, said the designation would reassure whistleblowers that approaching the regulator comes with enhanced legal safeguards.
He also said the annual reporting obligations associated with prescribed person status would increase transparency and accountability in the SRA’s whistleblowing processes. The SRA said concerns about potential misconduct can be reported through its “Red Alert” reporting line.
The designation places the SRA among a list of UK organisations authorised to receive protected disclosures under whistleblowing legislation, alongside regulators operating in sectors including financial services, healthcare and public safety. The move is expected to strengthen internal reporting mechanisms within law firms and increase scrutiny of professional conduct across the legal sector.