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Combining every AML service you need in one convenient place, SmartSearch makes anti money laundering checks for solicitors easy. We focus on meeting regulatory requirements in line with the SRA, so you don’t have to.
As The Law Society says, ‘compliance with money laundering obligations is one of the greatest challenges for solicitors in the UK today’. AML checks for solicitors can be an expensive, time-consuming task, and manual checks can often prove inaccurate, as they’re open to human error.
The SmartSearch platform is the most efficient and cost-effective way of carrying out money laundering checks for solicitors. We offer the only AML solution with full sanction and PEP screening, and ongoing monitoring. Our electronic verification is fast and reliable, and all our checks are automatically saved, so you can retrieve them on demand for audits and regulatory visits. New and existing clients can be onboarded in bulk, so you remain compliant at all times.
Flexible AML Services for Solicitors
From KYC and sanctions screening to ongoing monitoring – you can access all our AML services in the holistic SmartSearch platform, but we know that flexibility is important. That’s why SmartSearch can integrate these products into your law firm’s software directly, to make AML checks for solicitors even easier, using existing files.
Our user-friendly app will even grant you access to these services when you’re out of the office, so you can verify your client’s identity on the go, and receive automated alerts to any change in their status.
The international corporate reports are brilliant, we would never be able to find the information on our clients as quickly or as easily as we do through SmartSearch. It is returned as a nice, easy to read PDF report with all the information clearly laid out, along with any PEP & Sanction matches Daniel Ayden
The international corporate reports are brilliant, we would never be able to find the information on our clients as quickly or as easily as we do through SmartSearch. It is returned as a nice, easy to read PDF report with all the information clearly laid out, along with any PEP & Sanction matches
A number of other integrations based on RESTful APIs have been built but none so smoothly as SmartSearch. Their API, the accompanying (very detailed) documentation and the support received from Carl Chadwick and his colleagues is a country-mile ahead of others. James Hood Head of IT
A number of other integrations based on RESTful APIs have been built but none so smoothly as SmartSearch. Their API, the accompanying (very detailed) documentation and the support received from Carl Chadwick and his colleagues is a country-mile ahead of others.
Short for designated non-financial businesses and professions, DNFBP is the acronym used to describe the additional occupations and industries which are legally obliged to comply with AML regulations, but don’t fit into the financial sector. Solicitors are a DNFBP, but so are estate agents, casinos, dealers in precious metals or stones, company service providers, tax advisors and external accountants.
Solicitors and law firms are often just as vulnerable to money laundering and other forms of financial crime as businesses in the financial services sector. The Financial Action Task Force therefore requires that solicitors meet AML regulations and carry out anti money laundering checks – this is monitored by the SRA (Solicitors Regulation Authority).
Documents used to verify identity in AML checks must be certified by a reliable source. Some of the people who are qualified to certify these documents are: qualified lawyers or attorneys, accountants, licensed conveyancers, employees of the Homes and Communities Agency, and British Embassy or consulate staff.
The Law Society is officially named as the supervisory authority for solicitors and law firms, but it has passed on all regulatory duties to the SRA, or Solicitors Regulation Authority. The SRA therefore monitors the compliance of solicitors and law firms in accordance with AML regulations.
The AML advice for the legal services industry is based on guidance published by the Legal Sector Affinity Group in 2018, as well as the 5th Money Laundering Directive, which arrived in January 2020. The compliance process includes carrying out a wide range of AML checks for solicitors, like sanctions and PEP screening, as well checking for adverse media, performing ongoing monitoring and implementing a risk-based approach.
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