AML Firm-Wide Risk Assessments for Law Firms
Does your AML firm-wide risk assessment reflect your clients, services, transactions and delivery channels? Explore practical guidance on preparing, reviewing and updating a FWRA, connecting identified risks with effective controls and avoiding generic assessments. Visit Lexsure’s FWRA support page to explore the requirements and discuss your firm’s assessment.
Does your FWRA describe your firm or a generic practice?
Your AML firm-wide risk assessment should explain the risks arising from the work you actually undertake and inform the controls your staff apply.
A template is a starting point. Your assessment needs to reflect your firm’s size, clients, services, transactions, geographical exposure and delivery channels.
- Identify and assess the risks relevant to your practice.
- Explain the reasoning behind your conclusions.
- Connect identified risks with appropriate controls.
- Revisit the assessment when your work or exposure changes.
- Keep a clear record of review and management approval.
Explore Lexsure’s FWRA guidance and support, and discuss whether your existing assessment needs reviewing or developing.
Explore Lexsure’s FWRA support →
Support with your assessment does not transfer responsibility for AML compliance away from your firm.
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AML Firm-Wide Risk Assessment: The Foundation of Your AML Controls
A firm-wide risk assessment should explain the money laundering and terrorist financing risks your law firm faces and how it manages them. Here is what an effective FWRA needs to cover and how to keep it connected to your AML controls
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AML Audit Case Study: Missing Risk Assessment, Policies and Training
Originally published May 2024. Updated October 2026. This AML audit case study concerns a practice whose regulatory review identified gaps in its firm-wide risk assessment, policies and training. The original account records a two-week deadline for corrective action. The case illustrates the pressure created when basic AML arrangements need to be addressed after a regulator…