Bradley: Speed of change accelerating
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has begun the search for a new chair for its board, who will be paid £105,000 a year for around two days a week.
The regulator’s chair has had to be a non-solicitor since 2015 and Anna Bradley, the second lay chair, reaches the maximum six years in the role on 31 December 2024.
Writing in the pack for candidates, Ms Bradley reflected how the legal landscape “is beginning to change with new pace, as lawtech is embraced and generative artificial intelligence is employed”.
She continued: “These emerging developments raise important questions about how legal services will be delivered in the future and what this means for regulation.
“So far, we have focused on the ways in which lawtech could help to bridge the gap between access to justice and the millions of consumers – individuals and businesses – who need expert legal support but struggle to access it.
“But this is just the foothills of what is needed in relation to the threats and opportunities of tech.”
Among the attributes the new chair is expected to have are “political acumen”, “intellectual curiosity and humility” and “the ability to promote a culture of accountability, transparency, openness and debate in all that the board does”.
SRA board meetings, previously held in public, were closed to the public and media in 2017 [1] and the board rejected a request [2] from Legal Futures and the Law Society Gazette in 2022 to reopen them.
In return for £105,000, “the role is expected to require two days a week but may require more during busy periods”.
The board currently meets eight times a year and members are also expected to attend some events with stakeholders.