How To Create A CQS Conflict Handling Policy Template

Section 5.7 of the 2022 Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) Core Practice Management Standards (CPMS) states that CQS accredited law firms are required to have a Conflict Handling Policy. However, many SROs not know how to write such policies and procedures. We well drafted Conflict Handling Policy will cover the prevention, detection and mitigation of conflicts of interests help your lawyers act in a principled way. Such priciples include: 1. Acting with independence and integrity. 2. Acting in the best interests of your Clients. 3. Keeping the interests of the Client paramount. 4. Refusing act for a Client where you judge it is not in their best interest for you to do so. 5. Refusing to accept instructions from a person nor continue to act for a Client whose interests conflict directly with your own, the entity’s, or another Client.

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FCA AML Audit: Financial Regulator Takes Over Legal Oversight!

The UK government has dropped a regulatory bombshell that will fundamentally reshape your life, and yes, we are talking about the dreaded FCA AML audit. For years, you’ve been supervised by your legal peers, the SRA, but those days of relative comfort are drawing to a close. The big news? Responsibility for Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Terrorist Financing (CTF) supervision for the legal and accountancy sectors is being handed over to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA. That's right, the same folks who put the fear of God into the big banks are now coming for your conveyancing files. Cue the dramatic music. What does the FCA take-over actually mean? Forget the gentle nudge; prepare for the financial services full-body search. An FCA AML audit is likely to look a lot more like a detailed financial inspection and a lot less like a polite chat with the SRA. Think maximum emphasison: Ironclad AML documentation (no more "it's in my head" polici...

December 2025: The SRA’s AML Audit Crackdown Has Arrived

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) isn't sending Christmas cards this year. They're sending in the AML auditors. Despite the upcoming shift where the FCA will assume wider AML regulatory oversight, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is turning up the heat one last time. Forget a gentle warning—welcome to the AML Blitz of December 2025 . Let’s cut to the chase. SRA Chief Executive Paul Philip is clearly done with excuses. His public message is unambiguous: "We are still finding fairly basic deficiencies in AML arrangements within firms." Translation for the Partners: You might effortlessly navigate a complex, multi-million-pound merger, but somehow, you still haven't nailed your fundamental firm-wide risk assessment. The era of the gentle wrist-slap is officially over. The SRA has made it clear that fines are "continually going up." AML Compliance is no longer a 'nice-to-have'—it’s an expensive, enforced reality...

FCA AML Audit: Why Solicitors Time to Rethink AML Compliance

If you’re a partner or a compliance officer at a law firm, I want you to take a quick second and think about your last AML review. Was it a check the box exercise to keep the SRA happy? If the answer is yes, we need to have a serious chat. The regulatory landscape for solicitors is shifting fast . The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is stepping onto the field with a much more active role, and they play a much tougher game than we've seen in the past. Today, we’re breaking down why the FCA AML Audit is the new essential safeguard—and why "good enough" policies just won't cut it anymore. Why the "Old Way" of AML is Riskier Than Ever Historically, many of us approached AML compliance through a traditional SRA lens. But let’s be real: that approach is becoming a major liability. The FCA’s style is risk-based, evidence-focused, and—most importantly outcome-driven. They don’t just want to see your manual; they want to see your proof. ...

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