This article explains how to check whether a solicitor or law firm is genuinely regulated in England and Wales. It is general information, not legal advice, and is not a recommendation or endorsement of any particular solicitor or firm.
Why this check matters
“Solicitor” is a legally protected title in England and Wales. To use it, someone must be admitted to the roll of solicitors and hold a current practising certificate issued under the oversight of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) — using the title without that authorisation is a criminal offence. Regulation matters practically too: instructing an SRA-regulated firm means your money is protected by strict accounting rules, the firm is required to carry professional indemnity insurance, and you have access to the Legal Ombudsman and the SRA Compensation Fund if something goes seriously wrong. None of that protection applies if you use someone who is not actually regulated, however professional they may appear.
Step 1: Search the SRA’s Solicitors Register
The SRA publishes a free, public Solicitors Register that lets you search for a named individual or firm and confirm whether they are currently authorised to practise in England and Wales. You can search by name or by the firm’s SRA ID number, and narrow results by decision type or date range if you are checking for regulatory history as well as current status. The register shows:
- Whether the person is currently an authorised, practising solicitor and where they are based;
- Whether a firm is currently regulated by the SRA;
- Published regulatory decisions — for example fines, rebukes, conditions on practice, or firms the SRA has closed down and individuals it has prohibited from practising.
The SRA itself is clear about a limitation: decisions are generally only retained on the public register for around three years, and “not all regulatory decisions are published.” A clean search result today is a genuinely useful signal, but it is not an absolute guarantee of a spotless history — if a decision matters to you specifically, you can contact the SRA directly for further information.
Step 2: Use the Law Society’s Find a Solicitor tool
The Law Society, the professional body for solicitors in England and Wales, runs a free “Find a Solicitor” directory covering firms and individuals regulated by the SRA. It allows you to search by the type of legal issue you have and your location, which is a useful cross-check alongside — not instead of — the SRA register itself, since the SRA is the actual regulator.
Step 3: Ask the firm directly, and check what they tell you against the register
Legitimate firms are generally open about their regulatory status and will confirm their SRA ID number if asked. If a person or firm is reluctant to confirm this, avoids the question, or the details they give do not match what the register shows, treat that as a serious warning sign before you hand over any money or sensitive documents.
What regulation does not automatically tell you
Being SRA-regulated confirms a person or firm meets the baseline professional and financial safeguards required to practise law — it is not, by itself, a guarantee of the best outcome, the lowest price, or that a particular firm is the right fit for your specific case. Cost, experience in your type of matter, and how comfortable you feel with the person handling your case are separate, legitimate factors worth weighing once you have confirmed the regulatory basics are in order.
Other regulated legal professionals
Solicitors are not the only regulated route to legal help. Barristers are regulated by the Bar Standards Board, and some public-access barristers can be instructed directly without going through a solicitor first for suitable cases. Licensed conveyancers, regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, and chartered legal executives, regulated by CILEx Regulation, are also legitimate regulated professionals for specific types of work. Each has its own public register — if you are checking someone with one of these titles rather than “solicitor,” search the register of the body that actually regulates them.
If something goes wrong after you have instructed a regulated solicitor
If you have a complaint about the service you received — not the outcome of your case, but issues like poor communication, unreasonable delay, or a billing dispute — the correct first step is the firm’s own complaints process. If that does not resolve things, the Legal Ombudsman can independently investigate complaints about legal service providers, generally within six months of the firm’s final response and within a year of the problem occurring or you becoming aware of it, so it is worth acting promptly rather than leaving a complaint unresolved.
Quick checklist
- Search the name and firm on the SRA Solicitors Register before instructing anyone.
- Cross-check against the Law Society’s Find a Solicitor directory.
- Ask for the SRA ID number directly and confirm it matches.
- If using a barrister, licensed conveyancer or legal executive instead, check the register of the body that regulates that specific profession.
- Keep a note of the regulatory check you did and when, in case you need it later.
Sources
- Solicitors Regulation Authority, “Check a solicitor’s record” (Solicitors Register) — sra.org.uk
- The Law Society, “Find a Solicitor” — lawsociety.org.uk
- Legal Ombudsman, complaint time limits and scope — legalombudsman.org.uk