30 October 2019
A solicitor is refusing to display the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) digital badge on the grounds it is an ‘illegal gimmick’ and fails to comply with data protection laws.
All firms are required to display the badge on their website by 25 November, on pain of disciplinary action. Solicitor George Gardiner, of Gardiner & Co, however, has set out on his website a list of reasons why he’s not going to comply.
He disputes the SRA’s claim that the badge will ‘reduce fraud and enhance client protection’ and warns there is a risk the badge could be ‘subverted and misapplied’.
An SRA spokesperson said: ‘We do not have access, record or store any additional data such as IP addresses or page navigation behaviour. We do not collect data that would identify an individual.’
