Striking Off / Erasure

For solicitors, striking off is imposed by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal under section 47 of the Solicitors Act 1974. On the hearing of an application or complaint, the Tribunal has power to make such order as it thinks fit, and any such order may in particular include the striking off the roll of the name of the solicitor to whom the application or complaint relates. The 'roll' is the register of solicitors entitled to practise, so striking off removes the solicitor's name from it entirely.

Striking off is the most severe sanction available and sits above the lesser sanction of the suspension of that solicitor from practice indefinitely or for a specified period, which the Tribunal may impose instead in less serious cases. A solicitor whose name has been struck off may apply to the Tribunal to have their name restored to the roll, but the Tribunal can also direct that restoration is prohibited except by its own order, reflecting the gravity typically associated with striking off — dishonesty, serious misconduct, or conduct that makes a person unfit to remain in the profession.