Legal groups file complaint against UK Lawyers for Israel director over alleged ethics breaches
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Complaint to legal watchdog accuses UKLFI and its director Caroline Turner of using unregulated legal threats to silence Palestine solidarity in Britain

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Two legal advocacy organisations have filed a formal complaint with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) against the director of UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).

Public Interest Law Centre (PILC) and the European Legal Support Centre (ELSC) accused Caroline Turner, a solicitor and UKLFI’s director, in a 114-page report of breaching professional standards and engaging in unregulated legal work to suppress solidarity with Palestine.

The complaint, which was filed on 5 August and made public on 13 August, alleges Turner has violated the SRA’s Principles and Code of Conduct, including through the use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), which are legal threats designed to deter free expression on matters of public interest.

PILC and ELSC want the SRA to investigate whether UKLFI, which is not regulated under any UK legal regulatory body, is in effect operating as a law firm, and to bring it under formal regulatory oversight.

According to the groups, between January 2022 and May 2025, UKLFI sent at least eight threatening letters to individuals and organisations engaged in Palestine solidarity work.

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A spokesperson for UKLFI Ltd denied claims made against them and said it “seeks to promote respect for the law in mattesr relating to Israel and the Jewish people by drawing attention to conduct which is or may be illegal and explaining the relevant facts and law.”

“This sometimes upsets people who are not complying with the law and their supporters. They may seek to disrupt our work by making misinformed complaints to various bodies,” a spokesperson for UKLFI told MEE.

"UKLFI Ltd is not itself a law firm, it is a non profit, membership organisation. It does not conduct “reserved activities”, and does not have to be authorised or registered under UK law.

“Nevertheless, its work is carried out to the highest professional standards. Many of its members and supporters are practising lawyers who are regulated by the applicable professional regulators. UKLFI has not conducted any activity that can be described as a SLAPP.”