Solicitor Compliance Services from Infolegal

Assistance with Regulatory Compliance for Solicitors

The challenges of managing a law firm have never been greater. Economic and political uncertainty combined with the potential vagaries of the SRA Standards and Regulations, the requirements of money laundering legislation, data protection requirements and increased competition has meant that managing a legal practice requires ever-increasing amounts of time and financial commitment.

Whether those challenges involve:

  • The work of the COLP and COFA,
  • Complying with the SRA Standards and Regulations,
  • Getting to grips with the requirements of money laundering legislation,
  • Understanding and applying data protection requirements,
  • Authorisation of new firms or setting up in practice,
  • Quality assurance including Lexcel, the Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) or the Specialist Quality Mark (SQM),
  • File Reviews & Audits,
  • SRA Investigations, and
  • Issues of transparency.

Infolegal can help to reduce the time and cost impact by providing practical, firm-focused support just when it is needed.

Tailored Compliance Support

In addition to our InfoHub, integrated online compliance management system, Infolegal can provide your firm with a wide range of compliance services specifically tailored to your requirements.

Infolegal has considerable experience in supporting legal practices of all types and sizes and in many different ways.  Our directors and consultants all have considerable expertise gained over many years of legal practice and management support which allow us to identify issues and assist your firm in managing its compliance.

Infolegal is able to provide your firm not only with advice and assistance in respect of specific regulatory issues but also we can undertake a review of your firm’s approach to compliance and help you to identify the steps that you will need to take, or the processes that you need to put in place, in order to ensure that your firm’s procedures and structures meet the requirements of the SRA and other relevant regulators.

Our Areas of Expertise

Infolegal is able, through its directors and external consultants, to provide firms with a wide range of compliance, support and regulatory services.  These include:

COLP and COFA Support

With considerable experience of anti-money laundering, the SRA Standards and Regulations, data protection and cybersecurity, Infolegal is uniquely placed to be able to support COLPs and COFAs and to provide guidance and advice on the issues they are likely to encounter. That support can either be in the form of a response to a one-off query, generally advising on what needs to be done to ensure compliance in the future or support by way of an ongoing monthly retainer.

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Anti-Money Laundering

Infolegal has led the way in helping law firms comply with AML responsibilities for many years, with director Matt Moore providing training on the subject since it first emerged as a requirement some 20 years ago. Infolegal has often been called upon to advise reporting officers facing difficult situations, has assisted with AML risk assessments and has provided in-house training to firms of all sizes . Its monthly newsletter provides regular updating and reminders on this topic.

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Compliance Audits

Ensuring your firm is up to date with compliance issues is vital. Frequently changing regulatory requirements mean that ensuring policies, processes and procedures are water-tight is not always easy. Infolegal’s specialist advisers can assist by carrying out a compliance audit designed to highlight any gaps and provide practical and effective solutions to deal with them. Areas covered include equality and diversity, AML, data protection and SRA Standards and Regulations.

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Quality Standards

Quality standards such as Lexcel and the Conveyancing Quality Standard (CQS) have been part of the legal profession for many years. Whereas previously they were used as evidence that the firm provided a good standard of service, now reasons for obtaining them are more likely to be to qualify for instructions from panels, etc. Infolegal has a long history of involvement with quality standards and can advise firms fully on many aspects of their implementation.

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Setting Up in Practice

Although the SRA have simplified the process of authorisation and setting up in practice, nevertheless the number of requirements alone can make the process seem daunting for anyone not familiar with it. For those firms applying to set up a new practice, or changing the manner in which they undertake their practice, Infolegal can assist not only with the SRA application itself but also can provide simple to use templates for manuals, policies and business plans as well.

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SRA Transparency Rules

All regulated firms are required by the Transparency Rules to publish information as to the prices they charge, and what these cover, across a number of services and the SRA continues to carry out compliance checks in relation to this. Infolegal can assist your firm with all aspects of its transparency compliance including carrying out a review of your website, providing you with text to address the requirements of the Rules and ensuring that the SRA Digital Badge is correctly displayed.

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