Committee Chair seeks assurances from solicitors regulator over concerning use of SLAPP cases to chill free speech 

The Chair of the Lords Communications and Digital Committee, Baroness Stowell of Beeston, has written to the Chief Executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), Paul Philip, to ask whether they plan to re-examine certain law firms’ alleged involvement in suspected SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) cases. 

This comes after the SRA recently published new guidance on SLAPPs in March. The guidance stated that law firms have a duty to report SLAPP cases to the regulator when they suspect they are being used to shut down public discourse.  

Last week, the Committee heard evidence from lawyers, journalists and publishers that SLAPP litigation was being persistently used as a tool to chill free speech and censor allegations of wrongdoing, and that not enough was being done to tackle this. Peers also heard that the SLAPP cases known publicly represent ‘just the tip of the iceberg.’  

A copy of the letter can be found here.