SRA begins chair search as outgoing chair says ‘mistakes have been made’

The SRA is launching a search for a new board chair as the regulator enters a period of wider leadership transition. The formal recruitment process will begin on 1 June with plans for the new chair to be in post on 1 January 2027.

Current chair Anna Bradley will step down after eight years in the role, having overseen the regulator through the fallout from the £60 million Axiom Ince collapse and the heightened scrutiny that followed over the SRA’s supervisory approach.

Bradley said: “Sometimes, we have not kept pace with the market and mistakes have been made. I am sorry these issues have had such an impact on consumers and the profession.”

The board is responsible for providing strategic oversight of the regulator, which supervises more than 200,000 solicitors in England and Wales.

Leadership shakeup

Bradley said the organisation was looking for a chair who could help guide the regulator through a rapidly changing legal market.

“The SRA now has a better grip on what needs to change to make us an improved, more modern, proportionate and, ultimately, more trusted regulator,” she said.

The new chair will oversee the regulator’s board as it continues work on developing its strategy for its next strategic cycle launching in November 2027.

The appointment comes during a broader reshaping of the SRA’s leadership team. The regulator recently appointed Sarah Rapson as chief executive, succeeding Paul Philip, who retired after more than a decade in the role.

The SRA also announced the creation of four new executive director roles last month while announcing the appointment of former Baker McKenzie partner Jonathan Peddie into one of the new posts overseeing investigations, enforcement and litigation.

Changing market

The search for a new chair comes as the regulator continues to face pressure over how it approaches innovation, consumer protection and oversight of new legal business models.

The SRA has spent the past decade overseeing the rise of alternative legal services providers and venture-backed firms operating under the ABS regime, including high-profile collapses such as Axiom Ince and Sheffield law firm SSB.

The collapse of Axiom Ince triggered one of the largest regulatory interventions in recent years and intensified scrutiny of the SRA’s supervision and enforcement processes. The fallout prompted reviews into how the regulator monitors financial controls, acquisitions and rapid firm growth within the legal sector.