SRA chief executive to retire after nearly 12 years of leadership

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The chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Paul Philip is set to retire towards the end of 2025, after more than 11 years of “transformative” leadership.

Chair of the SRA Anna Bradley said Philip “will be a hard act to follow” and highlighted the chief executive’s significant contribution to the organisation, including developing and delivering the Solicitors Qualifying Exam “to make sure everyone can trust that qualifying solicitors are meeting a consistent, high standard”.

The retirement announcement follows recent backlash surrounding the regulator’s oversight of the Axiom Ince collapse, after the Legal Services Board (LSB) deemed that the SRA didn’t act “adequately, effectively and efficiently” and didn’t take “all the steps it could or should have taken”.

Chief executive of the Law Society, Ian Jeffery, acknowledged Philip's “personal contribution” to the regulation of the profession: “Paul’s departure this autumn comes at a critical time in the history of the SRA. The hard lessons for the SRA from the Axiom and SSB collapses will require a period of deep reflection and significant organisational change. The handover to a new leader will be crucial to how the SRA moves forwards.”

Philip said the role “has been incredibly interesting, challenging and fulfilling” and that “this feels like the right time to retire and switch pace”. However, Philip added that “there is a lot of significant work to progress” before retiring from the position and he looks “forward to handing over to a new chief executive later in the year”.

Speaking on the recruitment for the new chief executive, Bradley said: “The SRA is mid-way through its current strategy and last year strengthened its senior management structure, making this a good time for succession to occur.”

In a similar vein, chair of the LSB, Alan Kershaw, has announced his decision to step down with immediate effect.