Bradley: Will have served eight years
The board of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has decided to extend Anna Bradley’s term as chair for a further two years rather than recruit a replacement.
The regulator began its search for Ms Bradley’s successor in April, to be paid £105,000 a year for around two days a week.
She was became chair on 1 January 2019 and reappointed for a second three-year term, due to finish at the end of this year.
The SRA governance handbook provides that members of the board can serve for a total of six years but can be appointed for an additional term of up to two years “where organisational need dictates that that is the best course of action”.
In the unexpected announcement on Friday, the SRA said: “Recent developments – including evidence of shifting risks in the legal sector – mean that this is not a steady state period for the SRA.
“As a result, there is significant organisational development scheduled for the next two years, which will be reflected in changes to our business plan for next year.
“In the light of this, the board has taken the view that it is important to stay focused on the necessary developments and maintaining stability at board level will help.”
The end of her extended term will coincide with the end of the SRA’s current three-year strategy.
The SRA said key areas where it was increasing its focus included how it collected and used data to “better identify and manage risks”, its “proactive investigation work”, and the ongoing consumer protection review.
Perhaps more to the point, the SRA is under increasing scrutiny over how it operates, with the Legal Services Board reviewing how it handled the collapses of Axiom Ince and SSB Law, and scrutinising its huge proposed increases in compensation fund contributions.
This might make it a difficult time for a new chair to take over.
The candidate pack distributed earlier this year said listed the attributes the new chair was expected to have as including “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”.
The decision was made at the closed SRA board meeting last week and Ms Bradley will only face questions from the media about what happened at it and the reasons for the extension at a press briefing next week.
The chair of the SRA cannot be a lawyer. Ms Bradley has substantial regulatory experience, having been chair of the Council for Licensed Conveyancers between 2010 and 2015.
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