Overview
When a watchlist screening check in Legl returns a Consider result, it means one or more potential matches were found on sanctions, PEP, or adverse media databases.
Your firm must then review these results to decide whether any of them truly relate to your client. This article explains how to complete that review, document your decisions, and discount false positives to keep your records accurate and avoid receiving unnecessary ongoing monitoring alerts.
What the result means
When a watchlist screening is complete, Legl assigns one of two possible outcomes:
Result | What it means | What you should do |
Clear | No relevant matches found. | You can proceed without further review in alignment with your firm's risk policy. |
Consider | One or more potential matches found that may relate to your client. |
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You will see these results in both:
The Watchlist screening section of the Client Due Diligence (CDD) PDF
The Legl UI, where matches appear as individual profiles with a Yes/No decision field
Understanding the results
Matched entities and profiles
Each potential match is shown as an individual profile. Profiles include:
Full name and known aliases (including translated or transliterated versions)
Category of match — e.g. Sanctions, PEP, Adverse media, Fitness & probity
Matched data points — such as name, date of birth, and country
Listing details — such as source name, role, or reason for inclusion
Links to source material (e.g. government websites, media articles)
Strong matches and probable false matches
Results are grouped to help triage:
Strong matches — likely your client based on exact or valid name matching.
Examples:
Perfect match: You search "Sarah Johnson" → We find "Sarah Johnson"
Valid word order: You search "Sarah Johnson" → We find "Johnson Sarah"
Missing middle name but valid: You search "Michael David Brown" → We find "Michael Brown"
These require careful review. Prioritise checking date of birth, location, and other identifiers.
Probable false matches — similar names but likely different people (different first name or extra names). Still apply judgement; data quality varies across sources.
ℹ️ Important
Due to variance in source data, the most relevant result might not always be first. Apply your risk-based approach.
Sources
Every profile includes direct links to the data sources that triggered the match — such as:
Government sanctions lists (OFSI, OFAC, UN, EU, DFAT, MFAT)
Public office registers (e.g. UK Parliament, European Commission)
Official enforcement or disqualification databases (e.g. Companies House)
Credible media outlets for adverse media matches
ℹ️ Important
Adverse media results are only included when a potential PEP or sanctions match exists, to reduce irrelevant noise.
It is possible to screen all clients for Adverse Media — if this aligns with your risk policy and you would like this setting turned on, please reach out to [email protected].
How this appears in the PDF report
Your downloadable CDD report contains a full breakdown of the screening section.
Overview page — displays a summary:
Overall result (Clear or Consider)
Number of potential matches found
Date and time the report was generated
Appendix section — expands each match:
Each profile listed with its category (e.g. Politically Exposed Person, Adverse Media)
A list of data sources with clickable URLs (e.g. UK Parliament, Companies House, Daily Record)
Snippets from source material for adverse media matches, where available
How to review and record your decisions
In the Legl platform, you can view and act on results directly without downloading the PDF. We recommend this method as it will speed up your review.
Go to Engage → Individuals and select your client
Open the Watchlist screening section of the CDD report
You will see:
The summary result (Clear or Consider)
A list of potential matches, each shown as a line item
For each result: the name, match type (e.g. PEP, Sanctions), and an arrow to open the full details
Confirm or dismiss each result
Click the arrow on each profile to open the full result, then:
Compare key identifiers:
Name spelling or order
Date of birth or year
Nationality or country of residence
Professional role or context (e.g. politician vs private individual)
Check the source:
Government register (e.g. sanctions or PEP lists)
Media article (does the story clearly reference your client?)
Enforcement or regulatory record
If confident the profile is unrelated:
Select No – not my client
Add a short note explaining your reasoning, e.g. "Different DOB, no link to UK"
If the profile matches your client:
Select Yes – this is my client
Add a comment to explain your reasoning, e.g. "Confirmed match – client is MP for Pudsey"
Click Add Comment
Continue reviewing until decisions for each profile have been made
Review the remainder of your CDD report
ℹ️ Further guidance
What happens next
Comments and decisions will be included in the final PDF report once the report has been marked as reviewed
Watchlist matches marked Yes will continue to be monitored
Matches marked No will be removed from ongoing monitoring, reducing unnecessary alerts in the future
Further action depends on your firm's internal risk-based approach and escalation procedures.
Important information
A Consider result does not mean a client has failed due diligence — it means manual review is required
Document your reasoning, especially when discounting matches
Ensure review team-wide consistency — all reviewers should use similar criteria
Check source material where needed, especially for sanctions or serious adverse media
Confirmed matches (marked Yes) will continue to be tracked automatically via ongoing monitoring
Legl does not provide legal advice — each firm must apply its own risk-based approach and internal escalation process
If your firm requires a colleague to review the report, you can reassign the reviewer from the review window by clicking Change and selecting a new reviewer from the dropdown