SRA warns solicitors not to leave PC renewal to last minute

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has urged solicitors not to wait until the last minute to renew their practising certificates, after it revealed that fewer than half the expected applications had been completed or were nearing completion.

The deadline for completing the process is 14 December. The regulator said that 18,000 out of the anticipated 37,000 bulk or single applications had completed or were nearing completion.

Solicitors have been able to begin the process of renewal since 1 November.

Alan Vallance, Director of Organisational Services at the SRA, said: "We are pleased to report that mySRA is performing well and any issues being experienced by users are minor and easily addressed. We urge firms and individuals to complete the online renewals process as soon as possible rather than leaving it until the last minute.”

He added: "Those submitting bulk renewals should remember that they can submit their application before the deadline of 14 December, but arrange for your payment to be made later by selecting the 'Bill Me' payment option.”