Official sources for law firms.

These are official and professional bodies only: we never link to software vendors here. Rules and guidance change, so always check the current version on the source site. This page is reviewed every month as part of our content review.

Regulation and professional rules

The rules law firms are regulated by, and the guidance that goes with them.

• SRA Standards and Regulations: The full rulebook for solicitors and firms.
• SRA Accounts Rules: Client money, reconciliations (rule 8.3), residual balances and the accountant’s report.
• SRA Code of Conduct for Firms: Systems and controls, risk management, supervision and compliance officers.
• SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors: Individual conduct duties, including confidentiality and conflicts.
• SRA: responsibilities of COLPs and COFAs: What compliance officers are responsible for, breach records and reporting.
• SRA Transparency Rules: Price and service information firms must publish.
• SRA Indemnity Insurance Rules: Professional indemnity insurance and the minimum terms.
• SRA guidance: All current SRA guidance.
• SRA research and publications: Risk reports, thematic reviews and annual reports.
• Legal Ombudsman: Complaints about legal services.
• The Law Society: The professional body for solicitors in England and Wales.
• Companies House: people with significant control: Who must be recorded as controlling a company, and what the register shows.
• Companies House: find and update company information: Free search of any UK company, its controllers and its filing history.
• SRA: misuse of AI warning notice: Client confidentiality, accuracy and governance when using AI (August 2026).
• Law Society: generative AI, the essentials: Risks, supplier terms and questions to ask before using generative AI.

Anti-money laundering

The Regulations, the sector guidance and the reporting routes.

• Money Laundering Regulations 2017: The Regulations as amended, including regulations 18, 19, 21, 24 and 28.
• Proceeds of Crime Act 2002: The principal money laundering offences and reporting duties.
• SRA: money laundering resources: SRA guidance, warning notices and templates.
• SRA sector risk assessment: The SRA’s assessment of money laundering risk in the legal sector, which firm-wide assessments must take into account.
• SRA anti-money laundering annual report 2024 to 2025: Inspection findings on risk assessments, policies, source of funds and audits.
• Legal Sector Affinity Group AML guidance: The HM Treasury-approved AML guidance for the legal sector.
• National risk assessment of money laundering and terrorist financing 2025: The government’s assessment of money laundering risk across the UK.
• National Crime Agency: suspicious activity reports: How to report suspicious activity.
• Financial sanctions: consolidated list: The list of financial sanctions targets.
• Companies House: report a discrepancy: Reporting beneficial ownership discrepancies as an obliged entity.

Courts and procedure

Rules, forms and online services for litigation and family work.

• Civil Procedure Rules: The rules for civil litigation, including time limits and service.
• CPR Part 3: case and costs management: Costs budgeting and costs management (Precedent H).
• HM Courts and Tribunals Service: The courts service and its online services.
• MyHMCTS for legal professionals: Online case management for professional users.
• Form E: financial statement: The current form and notes for financial remedy cases.
• Judiciary: guidance and resources: Practice guidance, including on court bundles.
• UK bank holidays: Official bank holiday dates, used in time limit calculations.

Property and land

Land registration services and guidance.

• HM Land Registry: Land registration in England and Wales.
• HM Land Registry business e-services: Services available through the portal and business gateway.
• How to use the HM Land Registry portal: Guides to portal services, including the Digital Registration Service.
• Land registration practice guides: HM Land Registry’s practice guides.
• Stamp Duty Land Tax: Rates, reliefs and returns.

Tax

HMRC guidance used in legal accounting and private client work.

• HM Revenue and Customs: All HMRC guidance and services.
• Making Tax Digital: The Making Tax Digital programme for VAT and Income Tax.
• Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: when you need to use it: Thresholds and start dates.
• Trusts and taxes: How trusts are taxed, and trust returns.
• Trust Registration Service: check if you need to register: Which trusts must be registered, and when.
• Companies House: Company and beneficial ownership information.

Legal aid

The agency that contracts and pays for legal aid work.

• Legal Aid Agency: Contracts, guidance and service updates for legal aid providers.

Data protection and cyber security

Personal data, breach reporting and practical security guidance.

• ICO guidance for organisations: UK GDPR guidance, including the right to erasure.
• ICO: report a breach: Reporting personal data breaches, usually within 72 hours.
• Cyber Essentials: The government-backed baseline security certification.
• NCSC: small organisations guide to cyber security: Practical security steps for smaller firms.
• Digital Verification Services register: The government register of certified digital identity providers.
• NCSC: supply chain security guidance: How to understand and manage the security risks that come with suppliers.
• UK GDPR Article 28: processors: What a processor contract must include, including return or deletion of data at the end.
• NCSC: prompt injection is not SQL injection: Why prompt injection is hard to prevent, and how to design AI systems around it.
• CMA: cloud services market investigation: The competition regulator’s findings on switching costs and egress fees in cloud services.

Quality marks and standards

Accreditations firms are often asked for.

• Law Society firm accreditations: Lexcel and the Conveyancing Quality Scheme: The Law Society’s practice management and conveyancing quality marks.
• ISO 9000 family: quality management (including ISO 9001): The international quality management standard.

Links last checked 13 October 2026.