The budget of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) is set to rise significantly next year due to a marked increase in cases referred by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
The Legal Services Board (LSB) is scheduled to review and approve the proposed 25% budget increase, elevating it from £2.5 million to £3.1 million for 2025. This adjustment is essential to accommodate the SDT’s requirement for 300 sitting days, an increase from the 260 days allocated in the 2024 application. This surge correlates with a 50% escalation in case referrals from the SRA over the past eight months.
However, when placed in historical context, the current budget proposal appears less extreme. The budget for previous years hovered around £3.1 million for fewer sitting days. An exception occurred in 2023 when it spiked to £4.3 million, partly due to a necessary relocation of the tribunal’s premises, which accounted for an additional £1.2 million.
The SDT anticipates further financial pressures in 2026 due to potential prosecutions related to the Post Office scandal and the collapse of Axiom Ince, as these cases may emerge following forthcoming panel inquiries.
Alison Kellett, the president of the SDT, noted in her submission to the LSB a substantial upgrade in tribunal operations over the past two years. The enhancements include modernised procedures, a new location, and advanced IT systems, alongside efforts to upskill staff and members. There is a plan in place for ongoing business improvement with the introduction of summary judgments at the conclusion of hearings next year. These summaries aim to clarify the panel’s reasoning before issuing the comprehensive written judgment, thereby providing transparency.
Moreover, the SDT has highlighted challenges with late agreements between the SRA and solicitors. These agreements are often finalised with little notice, disrupting scheduled hearings and leading to financial losses for tribunal members unable to secure alternative work. To mitigate these issues, from August 2024, members will receive compensation for missed days, capped at two sitting days per occurrence.
The proposed budget allocates funds across several areas: 30% for members’ costs, 48% for administrative expenses, and 22% for operational requirements. Members receive £595 per day for sitting days, and half this rate for training days. The SDT, which employs 14 staff members (equivalent to 13.3 full-time positions), plans to hire an additional deputy clerk to manage the increasing workload.
The Law Society has already expressed formal support for the budget application, and a challenge panel created by the LSB has endorsed its approval.
The anticipated increase in the SDT budget is a response to the rising volume of cases introduced by the SRA, reflecting the tribunal’s ongoing efforts to adapt and improve its processes.
