Solicitor and Lay Members are appointed by the Master of the Rolls for a 3 year term which may be renewed on application. Tribunal Members are not appointed or employed by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal or its administration company.

Vacancies are filled following an open and transparent competition.

The following points should be noted:

• Membership of the Tribunal involves a commitment to devote sufficient time to the Tribunal's business. This will  amount to about 12 sitting days per annum in addition to time spent on preparation, including reading papers, and (after the hearing) settling findings (currently estimated at a minimum  12 days per annum).
• Tribunal Members are expected to attend two training days per annum. In addition, Tribunal Members are primarily responsible for keeping themselves up to date with Tribunal practice and procedure, case law and all legal and regulatory issues affecting its work. This is a rapidly changing legal environment and the time commitment required should not be under-estimated.
• Cases are often contested and may take days, and sometimes weeks, to conclude. Tribunal Members will be asked and expected to sit for more than one day consecutively on a regular basis.
• Members are remunerated in accordance with fixed fees laid down by the Board of Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal Administration Ltd for sitting days. They do not receive separate payment for preparation and settling Judgments. Members also receive reimbursement of reasonable travel and subsistence expenses which must be evidenced by production of valid receipts.

The Tribunal welcomes applications  for membership from all sources. All applications are treated equally. No application will be disadvantaged due to the applicant's disability, ethnic origin, religion and/or race, gender, sexual orientation, geographical location and/or the size of practice or firm. The Tribunal's goal is to secure a wide and diverse range of applicants, willing and able to devote the necessary time to the performance of their duties and fully representative of the equally wide and diverse make up of the solicitors' profession.

Solicitor member applicants should note the following additional requirements:-

• Solicitor members of the Tribunal must be a practising solicitor of not less than ten years' standing; and 
• Must  not be a member of the Council of the Law Society or have a connection with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Lay member applicants should note the following additional requirement:-

• Lay Members must not be either solicitors or barristers.

Hearings take place in the Tribunal's Court Rooms at 3rd Floor Gate House, 1 Farringdon Street, London EC4M 7LG and usually commence at 10am. Sitting days end at different times of day as dictated by the requirements of the case.

The Solicitors Act 1974 and Solicitors (Disciplinary Proceedings) Rules 2007 provide that substantive hearings will take place before a Division of the Tribunal consisting of two Solicitor Members (one of whom acts as Chairman) and one Lay Member.