Thursday 05 April 2012 by Jonathan Rayner

Claims by the Society of Black Lawyers (SBL) that the Solicitors Regulation Authority is 'institutionally racist' have been given a cool reception by other individuals representing minority ethnic lawyers.

The SBL's report Breaking the Silence: who is regulating the regulator? accused the SRA of intervening on spurious grounds and intimidating lawyers.

Society of Asian Lawyers (SAL) chair Shams Rahman said that he had heard of 'similar concerns'. However, he said: 'I am certainly not prepared to say that the SRA is institutionally racist. Its development of outcomes-focused regulation will make the profession far more transparent about diversity.'

Law Society council member for ethnic minorities Sundeep Bhatia said that he had heard complaints about the SRA in his former capacity as SAL chair. However he declined to comment until he had read the SBL report.