The court overturned the controversial Mazur ruling, which had created uncertainty about the role of non-solicitors in litigation work. Instead, it held the High Court was wrong to distinguish between supporting an authorised solicitor in conducting litigation and conducting litigation under the supervision of an authorised solicitor, in Mazur and another v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP and another (Chartered Institute of Legal Executives and others, intervening) [2026] EWCA Civ 369.
The practice note sets out the Law Society’s understanding of how the judgment should be interpreted, pending further guidance from the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Law Society vice president Brett Dixon said the judgment ‘establishes a less restrictive framework... but it does not remove all limitations on what an unauthorised person employed by a regulated entity may do’. He said it confirms an authorised person can delegate tasks as long as they maintain responsibility for those tasks.
