Compliance calendar for small law firms

Anti-money laundering

• Review your policies, controls and procedures (PCPs) 
• Update your practice-wide, client and matter risk assessments
• Train staff on anti-money laundering PCPs

For support, explore all our anti-money laundering resources.

Business development

• Review and update your business plan and your marketing or advertising plan
• Monitor the financial stability of the firm
• Consider your business continuity plan and succession planning
• Review your IT requirements and capital expenditure
• Review staffing gaps
• Review your outsourcing arrangements and risks

For support, explore our business development and marketing resources.

Client care, satisfaction and complaints

• Review your client care letters and policies
• Review client and office balances that have not changed
• Review your policy for interest paid to clients
• Review your hourly rates and fee earner rates
• Review your terms of business
• Review your complaints records and customer satisfaction information, sharing this information with your staff
• Check and respond to reviews of your firm (if appropriate)
• Review and update your complaints register
• Review and update your complaints policy

For support, explore our client care resources and practice note on handling complaints.

Compliance management

• Consider training requirements for your compliance officer(s)
• Consider training requirements for your accounts staff
• Review any compliance failures to identify any trends

Join our Risk and Compliance Section for expert guidance on managing compliance.

Conflict of interests

Consider our:

• practice note on conflict of interests
• guide to conflict of interests in conveyancing

Data protection

• Check your data protection register and renewals
• Review your breach register

For support, explore our GDPR resources.

Insurance

• Professional indemnity insurance (PII) renewals: review and collect data for your application form, including your claims record 
• Consider whether your firm needs additional insurance cover, such as:
  • cyber insurance
  • public liability insurance
  • employer’s liability insurance
  • health insurance
  • income protection
  • business interruption insurance
  • regulatory defence cover
• Check disaster policy coverage in the event of a major incident, such as a fire, flood or pandemic

For support, explore our PII resources.

Membership renewals

• Accreditation renewals:
  • consider what information is needed to apply
  • complete all mandatory training and other requirements 
• Conveyancing lender panel renewals:
  • upload your PII certificate to lender portals
  • upload practising certificates to lender portals

Policies

• Review and update your policies
• Review the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Code of Conduct and the SRA Principles
• Check your reporting obligations
• Review and update your health and safety policy 
• Arrange a fire risk assessment for each office
• Arrange portable appliance testing (PAT) for electrical equipment 

Practising certificates

• Practising certificate renewals: prepare information for all practising solicitors ahead of the deadline

Preliminary checks and file management

Consider our practice notes on:

• file closure management
• file retention: trusts
• file retention: wills and probate
• who owns the file?
• supervision

Referrals and fee-sharing

• Check written agreements are in place
• Make sure clients are aware of arrangements
• Consider whether independence is compromised

Staff, training and supervision

• Make sure you have references and identity documents for all staff
• Review employment contracts
• Make sure DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks are up to date
• Review staff grievances
• Review and update your whistleblowing policy
• Monitor staff wellbeing
• Review holiday or sickness cover
• Review your student internship policy
• Carry out staff appraisals, discussing training and course requirements
• Review and update competency and training records
• Discuss supervision arrangements for staff 
• Train staff on compliance failure, conflict policies, data protection, complaints and undertakings

Undertakings

• Review your firm’s undertakings register 

For support, read our practice note on professional undertakings.

Website

• Review your website to make sure information about your firm is clear and accurate
• Make sure any price and service information complies with the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) Transparency Rules
• Check the SRA’s digital badge (clickable logo) is displayed on your website if regulated by the SRA

For support, explore our price and service transparency resources.