Client onboarding and matter inception: portal, e-signature and ID checks working as one

What a connected process looks like

1. Enquiry: captured from the website or an email, with the client's details entered once.
2. Conflict search: run against clients, matters and other parties, with the result recorded.
3. Quote and terms: the quote, client care letter and terms of business produced from precedents.
4. Acceptance: terms accepted and signed electronically, through the client portal or an e-signature service.
5. Identity and AML: the ID check sent to the client from the matter, completed on their phone, with the results, report and any risk flags returned to the client and matter automatically.
6. Matter opened: only when the checks and approvals are complete, with the risk assessment and source of funds recorded.

API-first, and your choice of provider

Your identity verification provider is a compliance decision, not just a technical one. The best connections are built on an open API, so the firm can use the provider it has chosen rather than only the one the system's vendor has partnered with, and can change provider later without changing the case management system.

Ask what comes back into the matter: a link to another website, or the full result, report and risk flags, stored where the COLP and MLRO can find them. Ask too about ongoing monitoring, such as sanctions alerts, and who is told.

For property work, HM Land Registry's digital identity standard for conveyancing is worth understanding when choosing a provider, and digital identity services certified under the government's trust framework can give stronger assurance. Check current guidance from the SRA, the Law Society and HM Land Registry.

Portal or e-signature?

An e-signature service handles signing. A client portal handles the whole relationship: documents, messages, updates, payments and signing in one secure place, which also keeps client documents out of ordinary email. Whichever you choose, check how signed documents and their audit trails are saved back to the matter. For deeds and land registration documents, check HM Land Registry's current requirements for electronic signatures before relying on them.

What to ask, and what to see

1. Take a new client from web enquiry to open matter, including e-signature and an ID check, without leaving the system.
2. Which ID providers are connected today, and how would ours be connected through the API?
3. Can a matter be opened before checks are complete, and who can override that?
4. Show the onboarding record the COLP would review.