§ discipline

File and record retention practice

The lawyer must retain files, accounting and practice records for the prescribed periods and dispose of them and personal data only in compliance with applicable law.

21 cases 38% strike-off avg fine 15,000 2 with dishonesty finding

How the codes express this duty

E&W Solicitors SRA Principles & Code SAR Rule 13.1; CCF 2.2 strong 10 cases
13.1 You must store all accounting records securely and retain these for at least six years. 2.2 You keep and maintain records to demonstrate compliance with your obligations under the SRA's regulatory arrangements.

SRA Code of Conduct for Firms · 2019 · archived copy · official source ↗

E&W Barristers BSB Handbook rC87; rC108; rC129 strong 4 cases
rC87 ... When deciding how long records need to be kept, you will need to take into consideration various requirements, such as those of this Handbook (see, for example, Rules C108, C129 and C141), any relevant data protection law and HM Revenue and Customs. rC108 ... The records and copies should be kept for 6 years from resolution of the complaint.

BSB Handbook · current · archived copy · official source ↗

Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 R.4.8; R.8.2(c) strong
In accordance with P.10, a recognised law entity shall maintain appropriate document retention policies compliant with applicable law and regulations, including in respect of data privacy.

Cayman Islands Legal Services Code of Professional Conduct · 2026 · archived copy

AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules Rule 14.2 partial 1 case
A solicitor or law practice may destroy client documents after a period of 7 years has elapsed since the completion or termination of the engagement, except where there are client instructions or legal obligations to the contrary.

Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules · 2015 (June 2026 compilation) · archived copy · official source ↗

AU Barristers Uniform Barristers Rules no clear equivalent
IE Solicitors Law Society Guide Ch9 — Retention or destruction of files strong
a solicitor should ensure that all files, documents, and other records are retained for appropriate periods and in compliance with GDPR requirements... once the appropriate period has elapsed, personal data relating to clients or others should not be retained longer than necessary.

Solicitor's Guide to Professional Conduct (Law Society of Ireland) · 4th ed. (2022) · archived copy · official source ↗

IE Barristers Bar Code of Conduct Rule 3.7(d) partial
In so far as it may be necessary to keep copy pleadings, advices, or other documents, Barristers have a duty to ensure the security and confidentiality of such documents. Any matter stored in electronic form should enjoy a proper level of encryption.

Code of Conduct for the Bar of Ireland · 2024 · archived copy · official source ↗

JM Attorneys Canons of Professional Ethics no clear equivalent
JE Lawyers Law Society of Jersey Code R.1.10 strong
All files or records of any material matter shall be retained by a member's firm... for at least 11 years from the last material entry on the file/record and shall not then be destroyed unless it is reasonable to do so in the circumstances. In any event, members may destroy files and records, other than original documents... after 20 years.

Law Society of Jersey Code of Conduct · 1 January 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗

ON Lawyers LSO Rules of Prof. Conduct no clear equivalent
BC Lawyers BC Code no clear equivalent
NZ Lawyers Conduct & Client Care Rules no clear equivalent
SCO Solicitors LSS Standards of Conduct no clear equivalent
SG Lawyers Professional Conduct Rules 2015 no clear equivalent
HK Solicitors Solicitors' Guide Anti-Money Laundering appendix (Principle 8.01) para 3 partial
the period for which the records are to be retained is to be the same as that for closed files namely:- (a) conveyancing matters – 15 years (b) tenancy matters – 7 years (c) other matters, except criminal cases – 7 years; and (d) criminal cases – 3 years from expiration of any appeal period.

Hong Kong Solicitors' Guide to Professional Conduct (Volume 1) · current · archived copy · official source ↗

HK Barristers Bar Code of Conduct para 7.10 strong
It is the duty of every practising barrister to retain in his custody or control for at least 2 years from the date when the same was first made or received by the barrister, legible copies of the following documents in respect of each and every case or matter on which he has been instructed ...

Code of Conduct of the Bar of the Hong Kong SAR · 2018 · archived copy · official source ↗

Cases dealing with this duty

Clear

21 decisions · link basis: found breached = a tribunal finding; rule cited = the mapped provision is cited in the decision; text match = high-precision text pattern

Duty classification does not yet cover every jurisdiction (Ontario, New Zealand and Singapore decisions are indexed but not yet duty-classified), so counts here understate those corpora.