- Latest available (Revised)
- Original (As enacted)
Solicitors Act 1974
You are here:
- UK Public General Acts
- 1974 c. 47
- Part II
- Disciplinary proceedings—general
What Version
Advanced Features
- Show Geographical Extent(e.g. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland)
- Show Timeline of Changes
Opening Options
More Resources
Changes over time for: Cross Heading: Disciplinary proceedings—general
Alternative versions:
Changes to legislation:
There are currently no known outstanding effects for the Solicitors Act 1974, Cross Heading: Disciplinary proceedings—general.
Changes to Legislation
Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. At the current time any known changes or effects made by subsequent legislation have been applied to the text of the legislation you are viewing by the editorial team. Please see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ for details regarding the timescales for which new effects are identified and recorded on this site.
Disciplinary proceedings—generalE+W
54 Restrictions on powers to strike names off roll.E+W
(1)No solicitor shall be liable to have his name struck off the roll on account of any failure to comply with the requirements with respect to [F1persons seeking admission as solicitors] of any training regulations or on account of any defect in his admission and enrolment, unless—
(a)the application to strike his name off the roll is made within twelve months of the date of his enrolment; or
(b)fraud is proved to have been committed in connection with the failure or defect.
(2)No solicitor shall be liable to have his name struck off the roll by reason only—
[F2(a)that a solicitor who undertook a training responsibility for him under training regulations neglected or omitted to take out a practising certificate; or
(b)that the name of a solicitor who undertook such a responsibility for a period has been removed from or struck off the roll after the end of that period.]
Textual Amendments
F1Words in s. 54(1) substituted (7.3.2008) by Legal Services Act 2007 (c. 29), ss. 177, 211, Sch. 16 para. 53(a) (with ss. 29, 192, 193); S.I. 2008/222, art. 2(j)(i)
F2S. 54(2)(a)(b) substituted (7.3.2008) by Legal Services Act 2007 (c. 29), ss. 177, 211, Sch. 16 para. 53(b) (with ss. 29, 192, 193); S.I. 2008/222, art. 2(j)(i)
55 Applications to require solicitor to answer allegations.E+W
For the avoidance of doubt it is hereby declared that an application by any person to require a solicitor to answer allegations contained in an affidavit, whether that application is made to the Tribunal or to the High Court, may be treated as an application to strike the name of that solicitor off the roll on the grounds of the matters alleged.
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1S. 55 extended (22.5.2000) by S.I. 2000/1119, regs. 1, 37(3), Sch. 4 para. 9, 10 (as amended (1.7.2009) by The Legal Services Act 2007 (Registered European Lawyers) Order 2009 (S.I. 2009/1587), art. 3(9))
C2S. 55 applied (with modifications) (1.1.2025) by The Recognition of Professional Qualifications and Implementation of International Recognition Agreements (Amendment) (Extension to Switzerland etc.) Regulations 2024 (S.I. 2024/1379), regs. 1(4), 25
Options/Help
Print Options
PrintThe Whole Act
PrintThe Whole Part
PrintThis Cross Heading only
Legislation is available in different versions:
Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.
Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.
See additional information alongside the content
Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.
Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.
Opening Options
Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once
More Resources
Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
- the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
- lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
- confers power and blanket amendment details
- all formats of all associated documents
- correction slips
- links to related legislation and further information resources
Timeline of Changes
This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.
More Resources
Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
- the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
- correction slips
Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including:
- lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
- confers power and blanket amendment details
- all formats of all associated documents
- links to related legislation and further information resources
All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. This site additionally contains content derived from EUR-Lex, reused under the terms of the Commission Decision 2011/833/EU on the reuse of documents from the EU institutions. For more information see the EUR-Lex public statement on re-use.