Saunders Law Ltd is itself regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority so we are fully aware of what regulation feels like for professionals!

With James Saunders and Gillian Benning being members of the Solicitors Assistance Scheme we are also daily helping solicitors facing the prospect of the life–changing impact of an adverse finding by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.

The key to avoiding Armageddon is often in engaging with the Regulator at an early stage. Too often professionals, experienced as they may be on the affairs of others, try to bury their head in the sand and lose the chance of dialogue, even where there is a good explanation. Most professional, sporting or industry regulators require the cooperation of their members and treat a failure to cooperate as a professional breach in itself.

We set out to have a constructive relationship with, and generally first try to negotiate with regulators, but if all else fails we have powerful advocacy assets to deploy at the tribunal hearing. It is usually a serious mistake for professionals to represent themselves; the objectivity necessary for good advocacy is absent, and it is much harder for the person affected, rather than their champion, to negotiate.

We represent clients in many other professional and sporting sectors and deal with –

• Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform
• Financial Services Authority
• General Medical Council
• Security Industry Authority
• The Jockey Club (now the British Horseracing Authority)
• General Osteopathic Council

In recognition of the demands and sensitivity of this work, all professional discipline cases are dealt with at director level.