NON-CONTENTIOUS REGULATORY ADVICE FOR LAW FIRMS AND LAWYERS

We advise law firms on a wide range of SRA regulatory matters, including as part of their day to day regulatory compliance and risk management, but also in relation to one off events, including mergers and LLP conversions.

Information on our work for law firms relating to professional discipline and notifications to the SRA includes:

New firm authorisations, both recognised bodies and ABSs.
Establishment of UK offices for international firms.
Conversion to ABS status.
Adding new law firm owners and managers, including non lawyers.
Appointing COLP and COFA, and emergency authorisations.
SRA issues on an LLP conversion.
Advice on SRA conflicts of interest, including managing own interest conflicts
SRA issues which arise during law firm mergers, including:
- SRA notification of merger
- The impact of the SRA warning notice on mergers
- Admission of new owners/managers
- Managing confidentiality risks, particularly when undertaking due diligence and/or pre-merger conflict checks
- Risk management and SRA regulation due diligence questions
- Successor practice and run off insurance
Managing the risks associated with a law firm in distress, including notifying the SRA, mitigating the risks of intervention and orderly closing down of a practice.

RISK MANAGEMENT AND REGULATORY ADVICE FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES REGULATION, RISK AND PARTNER TRAINING REGULATORY INVESTIGATIONS IN-HOUSE LAWYERS OWN INTEREST CONFLICTS: ESSENTIAL READING FOR PARTNERS AND GCS WHAT IS THE SRA THINKING? INSIGHTS FROM ITS COLP & COFA CONFERENCE

RECENT MATTERS

Examples of our team’s experience include:

Advising a large commercial organisation regarding its in house legal function and whether the same in house team can advise different subsidiaries of the organisation without infringing the SRA’s rules on conflict of interest/confidentiality;
Advising a law firm on its AML compliance, including advising as to whether a firm’s activities were within scope of the Money Laundering Regulations and whether partners in the firm met the criteria of BOOMs.
Completing the SRA forms for a new law UK law firm, to operate within a large and well-established Asian law firm group. law firm group, including registering RFLs.
Assisting a US firm on the establishment and SRA authorisation of a London office.
Advising a start-up law firm on the suitability of its COLP.
Advising a law firm undertaking merger discussions on risk and SRA issues identified during their due diligence
Advising a US headquartered global (non law) business on its establishment of an ABS law firm.
Advising a UK firm on successor practice and run off implications.
Advising an individual (non-partner) solicitor on his personal responsibilities as a regulated individual in light of a mismanaged firm facing a potential SRA intervention.
Advising individuals and firms on their ability to provide non-reserved legal services without SRA authorisation.

ALERTS ARTICLES VIDEOS

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