How to check a solicitor is regulated
Why you should check before you instruct anyone
You want to be sure the person advising you is a real, regulated solicitor. The law backs that worry. Section 21 of the Solicitors Act 1974 makes it an offence for an unqualified person wilfully to pretend to be a solicitor. It also covers any name, title or description that implies they are qualified, and a fine can follow on summary conviction.
Legal Choices says the SRA keeps watch over all solicitors in England and Wales, and over the firms they work for. It also takes action when solicitors fall below the required standards or act dishonestly. As a result, a few minutes of checking can save you a great deal of trouble. Our short guide on how to check a solicitor is regulated gives a quick overview if you prefer a brief read.
Step 1: search the SRA Solicitors Register
Start with the SRA Solicitors Register, because it is the main place to confirm who someone is. The register lets you look up the records of the solicitors and law firms the SRA regulates. You can also check whether somebody is a solicitor and where they work.
The SRA calls its register the definitive impartial source on the firms it regulates. Since it covers firms and people the SRA regulates, you can look yours up there.
The SRA’s “Choosing a solicitor” page gives consumers the same advice. It tells you to check the register, which shows whether someone is a solicitor and where they work. It also shows whether a firm is regulated by the SRA.
Try searching for the individual who will handle your matter, and then for the firm. If the two records agree, you have a good first sign. If they do not, note the difference and ask the firm to explain it before you go any further.
Step 2: look for the SRA digital badge
A regulated firm’s website may display a clickable SRA logo, which the SRA’s rules call the digital badge. Its use became mandatory on 25 November 2019. The logo shows visitors that the firm is regulated and links to information on the protections this provides.
Click it rather than trusting the picture. A genuine logo takes you to a page hosted by the SRA, which confirms by name that the firm is regulated. The logo also carries the current date. The SRA says this helps prevent fraudulent copying of a static image, so a badge with no date or no working link deserves a second look.
However, the badge does not replace a plain statement. The SRA says a firm must still state on its website that it is regulated by the SRA and give its SRA number. Look for both, and compare the number with the register.
Step 3: use the Law Society Find a Solicitor service
The Law Society runs a Find a Solicitor service, which gives you a second way to look someone up. It searches its database of legal professionals by organisation or person, by name or SRA ID, by location, by area of practice and by legal issue. As a result, you can use it to confirm a firm you already have in mind, or to see who works in your area.
For example, you could search by your location and the legal issue you have. You could then compare any names you find against the SRA register from step 1. If you are still deciding what kind of help you need, our practice areas pages explain the main fields.
Check a solicitor’s record
The SRA also offers a “Check a solicitor’s record” search. You enter a solicitor’s name or SRA ID, and it shows regulatory decisions. Generally, decisions stay on the SRA website for three years.
The SRA also says it cannot give a complete picture of a regulatory record there. Treat the search as one useful piece of information, not a full history. Because of that limit, ask the firm directly if anything on the record puzzles you.
Look for accreditation
Some solicitors and practices hold extra accreditation from the Law Society. The Law Society says you can check this by looking for its quality mark logos on websites, printed material or offices. You can also filter Find a Solicitor results by ticking the “accredited specialists only” box.
A quality mark is not a guarantee of the outcome of your matter. However, it does not replace the register check. Complete the basic regulation checks first, and treat a quality mark as an extra point afterwards. A quality mark therefore sits alongside those checks, not in place of them.
If a firm is not on the register
Sometimes you search and find no entry for the firm you want. One empty search settles nothing on its own, so do not simply carry on as normal. Instead, take a few simple steps to confirm who the firm really is.
Here is what to do:
- Ask the firm for its SRA number.
- Search the register again, using both the firm’s name and that number.
- Check the number against the one on the firm’s website.
- Do not pay any money or sign anything until the firm is confirmed.
If the firm cannot or will not give you a number, take that as a reason to pause. You are free to look at other firms instead.
If something goes wrong
Even a regulated firm can let you down on service, so it helps to know the order of steps. Complain to the firm first, because you must do that before bringing the complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. The firm has up to eight weeks to put things right.
If you remain unhappy after that, you can take the complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. It investigates complaints about the service from regulated legal service providers, such as solicitors, barristers, licensed conveyancers, costs lawyers, legal executives and notaries. Its service is free to consumers, and you can bring a complaint yourself. Our guide on how to complain about a solicitor walks through the process.