Solicitors

A Manifesto For Ethics

Calum MacLean 07 August 2025

Emma Williams, Director of Risk & Compliance at a US-headquartered law firm, delivered an impassioned call for ethics to reclaim its place at the heart of legal practice.

Against the backdrop of scandals such as the Axiom Ince collapse and the UK Post Office debacle (cases also raised by Michelle Allison, Partner in Professional Negligence and SRA Regulation at Simmons & Simmons), Williams highlighted the erosion of ethical principles within the profession and questioned whether the current regulatory and educational frameworks in England and Wales adequately address the issue.

This isn’t just a philosophical debate – it is of reputational and financial significance for firms. Allison put the ethics question in the context of regulatory censure and increasing numbers (and values) of fines levied for misconduct – financial and otherwise, and reminded the audience of upcoming SDT decisions, including an increasing number of alleged SLAPPS.

Key Insights

Ethics in Legal Education: In the U.S., ethics training for the legal profession became compulsory following the Watergate scandal. England and Wales, on the other hand, lacks any comparable level of robust mandated ethics requirements for solicitors both pre- and post-qualification. The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) offers limited focus on ethics, and the absence of formal CPD requirements can leaves ethics training largely neglected in many some firms.

Understanding Core Principles: Williams challenged delegates to test their firm’s grasp of professional ethics by asking fee-earners to name their guiding principles and, specifically, the SRA Principles. The common response typically puts ‘representing a client’s best interests’ as top. While this is of course very relevant, it’s actually number seven and although the rules are not officially in descending order of importance, one might draw conclusions from the positioning. The actual top two are:

To act…

in a way that upholds the constitutional principle of the rule of law, and the proper administration of justice.
in a way that upholds public trust and confidence in the solicitors' profession and in legal services.

What does this mean for the profession today?

There is no doubt that the nature of the profession is changing – and becoming more of a business. Coming from a large U.S. firm, Williams seemed to be a live counter to the assumption that this corporatisation necessarily runs counter to a meaningful professional ethics culture.

Perhaps there is some reassurance that ethics is back on the professional agenda, as many sound the alarm at the lack of profile given to the topic in formal education.

Practical Takeaways

Williams proposed her own “manifesto” for reintegrating ethics into private practice aligned with her own approach:

Firm-wide Ethics Training: Ethics training should be mandated by firms for lawyers and non-lawyers alike.
Practical and Relatable: Training should focus on case studies relevant to the firm’s practice areas, encouraging staff to move beyond a mindset of "I have a right to do this" to "what is the right thing to do."
Embed Ethics in Firm Culture: Regularly revisit professional principles and consider incorporating ethics discussions into team meetings or training sessions.

Next Steps

Review your firm’s current approach to ethics training. Is it fit for purpose? Miller is actively supporting firms in bringing ethics back onto the agenda.

Get in touch to explore how we can help.