Choosing a regulated solicitor: identity before instruction

Choose the relevant official route

For England and Wales, the SRA Solicitors Register is the regulator’s impartial source about the law firms and people it regulates. Its consumer page explains that you can check whether someone is a solicitor, where they work and whether the SRA regulates a firm. Search the person and the firm rather than relying only on a trading name that appeared in an advert.

For Scotland, use the Law Society of Scotland’s official information and solicitor search. For Northern Ireland, use the Law Society of Northern Ireland. These are separate jurisdictions, not alternate names for the SRA system. This guide does not interpret a Scottish or Northern Irish funding agreement or apply English and Welsh fee figures to work there.

Match the identity before sharing documents

Ask for the full contracting firm name and the name of the individual responsible for the work. Check the spelling and details independently using the relevant official route. If an unexpected message gives you contact details or a payment instruction, do not assume that copying a genuine firm’s name makes it genuine. Contact the firm through independently checked details before taking a sensitive step.

The SRA says no search results means it has no record matching the query, and it is not safe to assume the person or firm is regulated by it. A missing result is a reason to clarify identity and jurisdiction, not a reason for this website to declare someone authorised or unauthorised. We do not perform a live verification on your behalf.

• Who exactly is the agreement with?
• Who handles the work and who supervises it?
• Do independently checked contact details match?

Keep regulation separate from the funding decision

Registration does not endorse a particular fee proposal, establish experience with your issue or guarantee a successful result. Ask the firm directly about the work it would undertake, what is excluded and how communication will work. Request its complaints information and an explanation of applicable protections. Do not infer those answers from reviews, photographs or a familiar-looking badge.

The SRA’s no win no fee guide identifies pressure to sign, unclear fees and uncertainty about who is managing a claim as warning signs. A provider should be willing to explain potential costs and risks in understandable documents. If a percentage or condition is unclear, keep it as a question rather than filling the gap with a promise from an advert.

Make an informed, direct enquiry

Before sending a professional any material, understand the purpose of the contact and how their intake works. A general request for funding information is different from formally instructing a solicitor. Ask the firm what steps establish a client relationship and how it handles confidential information. This website does not receive case papers or act as a substitute intake service.

If the matter may be time-sensitive, obtain individual advice directly and promptly; reading a register or using our optional form does not protect a deadline. Save the checked firm details, dated proposal and written answers so that your identity checks and financial comparison remain traceable.