How to check a solicitor is legitimate
Criminals clone real law firms: same name, same SRA number, different bank account. Five free checks, none needing more than a few minutes, catch almost all of them before any money moves.
1. Look them up on the SRA register
Every solicitor and every regulated firm in England and Wales appears on the SRA's Solicitors Register at sra.org.uk. Search for both the individual and the firm. Check that the person actually works at the firm they claim to work at, and note the firm's registered address and phone number: you will need them for check three.
You can also search the register data here: it accepts a trading name, an SRA number or a website address, which helps when the name on the firm's site is not the exact regulated name.
A name missing from the register is a full stop, not a maybe.
2. Click the SRA badge on the firm's website
Regulated firms must display the clickable SRA digital badge on their websites. A genuine badge opens a confirmation page on an SRA domain naming the firm. A logo image that goes nowhere, or links anywhere other than the SRA, proves nothing: anyone can copy an image.
3. Phone the number from the register, not the email
This is the check that defeats cloning. In the scams the SRA publishes alerts about, the firm name and SRA number are real; only the contact details and the bank account are the criminal's. So never rely on a phone number or email address supplied in the message itself. Call the number listed on the SRA register or on the firm's website found through a search, and ask the firm to confirm the person and the matter.
- Legitimate firms do not ask for payment through WhatsApp or other messaging apps.
- Be suspicious of free webmail addresses (gmail.com, outlook.com) and of domains that almost match the real one, for example a .com where the firm uses .co.uk.
- If bank details change mid-transaction, stop and phone the firm on the known number. This is the classic sign of payment diversion fraud: the bank details changed email guide covers exactly what to do, including if money has already gone.
4. Check the SRA scam alerts
The SRA publishes a running list of scam alerts naming cloned firms, fake websites and bogus email addresses. Search the alerts for the firm's name before sending money, especially in conveyancing, where the sums are large and diversion fraud is most common.
5. Check what the firm's website shows
Regulated firms must publish specific information on their websites: the badge, complaints information and, for common services, prices. You can check any firm's website free in about two minutes, and our transparency statistics show how often each item is present across thousands of scanned firm websites. A missing item is not proof of anything on its own, but several missing items on a site asking you for money is a reason to slow down and verify by phone.
This guide is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. Website findings are automated, come from public pages only, and are not a legal opinion.