Engage offers a comprehensive suite of checks to ensure compliance with the Solicitors Regulation Authority's (SRA) Money Laundering and Client ID Verification regulations. These checks can be tailored to fit various practice areas and client risk profiles.
Available Checks
Client Identity and Proof of Address
Anti-Money-Laundering (AML) – Including PEPs, Sanctions, and Watchlists
Identity Document Verification
Biometric Video Check
Source of Funds
Financial Checks
Client Identity and Proof of Address:
Verifies the client's existence by matching their provided name and address against secure databases, primarily within the UK.
For clients outside the UK, a second proof of address document is collected.
Requires the client to submit their name, date of birth, and address.
Confirms identity and address against public databases such as the electoral roll, credit agencies, and phone directories.
The clients address is not checked against the address on the ID document uploaded.
Requires at least two matches to confirm proof of address.
Anti-Money-Laundering (AML) – Including PEPs, Sanctions, and Watchlists:
Screens client details against international watchlists to identify any Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), sanctions, or adverse media coverage that may raise AML concerns.
This check is conducted using the name provided on the client's ID document to ensure accuracy.
Identity Document Verification:
Accepts any form of international, government-issued ID document.
Processes and authenticates the document, cross-referencing it with the client's provided name, date of birth, and address.
Provides the law firm with a copy of the ID document.
Biometric Video Check:
The client submits a video or selfie, which is validated against the provided ID document.
The law firm receives an image of the client to cross-check against the ID document.
Source of Funds Information Capture:
Clients can submit source of funds information via Legl's Source of Funds questionnaire.
Allows clients to upload supporting documents, such as bank statements, which are then provided to the law firm.
Financial Checks:
Provides information about a client's financial history, including:
Bankruptcy or insolvency records.
County court judgments ordering the individual to pay off debt.
Debt collection searches indicating whether a credit check was made against the individual by a debt collection agency in the last 24 months.
Information returned includes the date and amount of any judgment, as well as whether it has been satisfied by the client.
Visit the following guide for information on interpreting the results of the Financial Checks.
Workflow Customisation
Engage allows customisation of workflows to include Client Due Diligence (CDD), AML, and Source of Funds checks. Available workflow templates include Basic CDD, Basic CDD (No ID Document Validation), AML Only, CDD, and CDD + Source of Funds. The differences between these workflows are outlined above and suggestive workflows for each use-case can be found here.
International Client Verification
Engage is equipped to handle clients residing abroad. Clients can select their country of residence from a dropdown menu when providing their address details.
What workflow should you pick?
You can customise workflows on Legl to include CDD, AML, and Source of Funds checks. You can also use our workflow templates like Basic CDD, Basic CDD (No ID Document Validation) AML Only, CDD, or CDD + Source of Funds. The differences between them can be seen here:
| AML only | Basic CDD | Standard CDD | NFC | Standard CDD - No ID Document Validation | Standard CDD + Source of Funds |
Watchlist screening PEPs and Sanctions check | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Financial Checks | ✖️ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Identity Validation |
| ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
ID Document Validation | ✖️ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✖️ | ✅ |
Biometric Verification | ✖️ | ✖️ | ✅ | ✅ | ✖️ | ✅ |
Source of Funds capture | ✖️ | ✖️ | ✖️ | ✖️ | ✖️ | ✅ |