Buying law firms
Every SRA-authorised law firm in England and Wales, including partnerships and sole practices, with its areas of work from the Solicitors Register and its owners' ages from Companies House.
Acquisition Engine19,857law firms on the platform, 8,853 of them currently authorised by the SRA
Figures at 15 October 2026
Regulation first, then the fee earners
A law firm cannot change hands without the SRA: new owners and managers need approval, and the COLP and COFA roles must be filled from completion. The value sits in work in progress, in the fee earners who hold the clients, and in a clean client account. The diligence list starts with those.
AD Solicitors
AD Solicitors is looking for a solicitors' practice in England and Wales with one to five owners, a senior principal approaching retirement and wills, trusts and probate work. 571 firms score at tier A and 882 at tier B, and 712 of those do private client work.
Where these deals are won or lost
53 diligence requests in 11 sections, 26 of them rated high risk. Three of the high-risk requests, with the guidance shown on each one in the app:
Accountant's reports under the SRA Accounts Rules for the last three years, including any qualified reports and the SRA's response
The report is the single most useful document in the pack. A qualified report must have been delivered to the SRA. Firms below the client money thresholds in the Accounts Rules are exempt from obtaining one; ask the seller to show the exemption applies.
Professional indemnity insurance: policy schedule, insurer, limit of indemnity, excess and renewal date
Cover must meet the SRA Minimum Terms and Conditions. Check whether the firm buys top-up cover above the minimum, and whether the insurer is a participating insurer.
Register of outstanding undertakings given by the firm
An undertaking is personally binding on the firm and enforceable by the court. Every open one, usually on conveyancing matters, transfers with the work and must be tracked to discharge.
The full diligence list
Open a section to see its requests. Add, edit or remove requests on any deal.
Regulation 7
| R1 | SRA authorisation: firm type (recognised body, licensed body or recognised sole practice), SRA number and any conditions on the authorisation | high |
| R2 | Who holds the COLP and COFA roles, and who will hold them after completion | high |
| R3 | Which of the buyer's people will need SRA approval as owners or managers, and the timetable for it | high |
| R4 | The firm's regulatory history: SRA investigations, findings, fines, conditions, and any reports the firm has made to the SRA in the last six years | high |
| R5 | Reserved legal activities the firm carries out (litigation, advocacy, conveyancing, probate, notarial, oaths) and who is authorised to supervise each | medium |
| R6 | Accreditations and contracts held: Lexcel, Conveyancing Quality Scheme, panel memberships, Legal Aid Agency contracts | medium |
| R7 | Transparency Rules compliance: published prices and service information, complaints procedure and the SRA digital badge on the website | medium |
Client account 6
| M1 | Accountant's reports under the SRA Accounts Rules for the last three years, including any qualified reports and the SRA's response | high |
| M2 | Client account reconciliations for the last twelve months, signed off by the COFA | high |
| M3 | Client ledger list at the last month end, with any debit balances and any balance held for more than twelve months explained | high |
| M4 | Residual client balances, how they are being returned or paid away, and any SRA authorisations obtained to withdraw them | medium |
| M5 | Breaches of the Accounts Rules recorded in the last three years, and how each was corrected | medium |
| M6 | How client money will move at completion: matter-by-matter balances and the client authorities to transfer them | medium |
Insurance 4
| I1 | Professional indemnity insurance: policy schedule, insurer, limit of indemnity, excess and renewal date | high |
| I2 | Claims and circumstances notified to insurers in the last six years, with reserves and outcomes | high |
| I3 | Whether the buyer will be the successor practice, and who pays for the seller's run-off cover | high |
| I4 | Other insurances: cyber, office, employer's liability, and any management liability cover | medium |
Complaints and risk 5
| K1 | Complaints register for the last six years, including Legal Ombudsman cases and their outcomes | high |
| K2 | Register of outstanding undertakings given by the firm | high |
| K3 | File reviews and supervision records for the last two years, and the results of any external compliance audit | medium |
| K4 | Conflict checks: the firm's process, and a conflict search of the seller's live matters against the buyer's clients | medium |
| K5 | Litigation, threatened claims or disputes involving the firm itself | medium |
Fee income 6
| F1 | Fee income by work type and by fee earner for the last three years | high |
| F2 | Work in progress at the last month end by matter, age and fee earner, and how it is valued | high |
| F3 | Lock-up: WIP days and debtor days for the last three years, with aged debtors over 90 days explained | high |
| F4 | Recurring and repeat income: wills and lasting powers of attorney in storage, ongoing trust and estate administration, retained commercial clients | medium |
| F5 | Fee basis by work type — fixed fees, hourly rates, conditional fee agreements — and the last rate review | medium |
| F6 | Unbilled disbursements and any disbursements paid on clients' behalf and not yet recovered | medium |
Clients and files 6
| C1 | Wills, deeds and documents held in safe custody: an inventory reconciled to the physical store | high |
| C2 | Appointments held personally by partners as executor, trustee, attorney or deputy, and how each will be dealt with | high |
| C3 | Engagement letters and client care information for a sample of live matters in each work type | medium |
| C4 | Closed file storage: location, retention policy, destruction records and the cost of keeping them | medium |
| C5 | Referral and introducer arrangements, including any payments made or received and how they are disclosed to clients | medium |
| C6 | Client concentration: the top 20 clients by fees and their share of total fees | medium |
Anti-money laundering 3
| A1 | Firm-wide AML risk assessment, policies, controls and procedures, and the dates each was last reviewed | high |
| A2 | Client due diligence and source of funds files for a sample of conveyancing and private client matters | high |
| A3 | Names of the MLRO and MLCO, internal suspicious activity reports and SARs made, and staff training records | medium |
People 6
| P1 | Staff list: role, qualification, admission date, practising certificate status, salary, hours, notice period and date of birth | high |
| P2 | Fee-earner dependency: which fee earners hold which client relationships, and who intends to stay | high |
| P3 | Partnership or LLP agreement, members' capital and current accounts, tax reserves, and any annuities or payments owed to former partners | high |
| P4 | Employment contracts, consultancy agreements, restrictive covenants and the staff handbook | medium |
| P5 | Pension arrangements, auto-enrolment status and any employment disputes or tribunal claims | medium |
| P6 | Training and supervision of trainees and paralegals, and continuing competence records | low |
Systems and cyber 3
| S1 | Cyber security: payment-redirection controls, multi-factor authentication, Cyber Essentials status and any incidents or near misses | high |
| S2 | Case and practice management, accounts and document management systems, contract terms and renewal dates | medium |
| S3 | Data protection: ICO registration, data breach log, and how client confidentiality will be kept when files transfer | medium |
Financials 4
| B1 | Accounts for the last three years and management accounts for the current year | high |
| B2 | Adjusted profit: owners' drawings or remuneration replaced by the cost of the people who will do their work | high |
| B3 | Office bank statements for the last twelve months, borrowing, overdraft and any charges over assets | medium |
| B4 | Tax position: corporation tax or partnership returns, VAT and PAYE, and any open enquiries | medium |
Legal and property 3
| L1 | Premises: lease or ownership, term, break dates, rent reviews and dilapidations | high |
| L2 | Statutory books, share register or members' register, and any shareholder agreement | medium |
| L3 | Supplier and finance contracts, and any that terminate on a change of control | medium |
The first hundred days
34 actions, each with a target day counted from completion. These are the first eight.
Questions
Which law firms are covered?
Every firm on the Solicitors Register, including partnerships and sole practices, matched to Companies House where the firm is registered there. 3,691 of the authorised firms do wills, trusts or probate work.
Can we search for private client firms?
Yes. Each firm's areas of work come from its own SRA record, so a mandate can ask for wills, trusts and probate work and score firms that do it.
Does the diligence list cover the SRA Accounts Rules?
Yes. The client account section asks for the accountant's reports, reconciliations and any breaches, and explains what each one shows.
Book a demonstration on your acquisition criteria
Tell us the region, fee range and type of practice you want to acquire. We prepare a target list against those criteria before the call, so the demonstration uses firms you could approach.