Fighting For Principles? The New Solicitors´ Code Of Conduct

The new Solicitors' Code of Conduct has retained much of the old Guide to the Professional Conduct of Solicitors but has made some changes, some of which may result in uncertainty and even give claimants additional material to attempt to infer liability against solicitors.

The Law Society has long had in mind a review of the solicitors' profession's conduct rules. It set up a working party to re-examine the principles set out in the Guide to the Professional Conduct of Solicitors ("GPCS") even before it was published in 1999. The process is now finally complete, and the GPCS was replaced on 1 July 2007 by the new Solicitors' Code of Conduct ("the Code"). Much of the GPCS is retained but there are some significant changes.