COLPs – what to expect in 2026?

Law firms have never before faced such intense regulatory scrutiny following the recent high-profile law firm failures.  Are you ready for this intense scrutiny as a firm? As a Compliance Officer, what is your 2026 plan?

Few law firm leaders are compliance specialists, but can you afford not to be given the reputational risks? In this webinar, you will be empowered by knowledge; by understanding the expectation of your regulator, and you will explore the steps you can easily take to limit the reputational and financial risks all firms now face in the era of the SRA financial penalties regime.

Topics covered include:

• An overview of the current Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) areas of interest: the SRA risks are evolving, and determining culpability in hindsight appears as a feature of the SRA disciplinary enforcement approach. Do you get it right as a firm with the benefit of hindsight? We will look at managing the risk down, as a firm and personally.
• Data Security and Privacy: With the rise in cyber threats, law firms must ensure that data protection measures are robust and protect sensitive client data. Compliance with professional rules on client confidentiality, legal professional privilege, and legal obligations, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), is a crucial challenge for all law firms, yet client and professional pressures to adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) are everywhere. What should be on your agenda?
• Sanctions: the perception of the legal sector profiting from aiding those who are sanctioned has taken hold in the media, and the regime is much different now than prior to the war in Ukraine. How can you manage the sanctions risks arising? How do you evidence your compliance within client files?
• Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Terrorism Financing (CTF): Law firms need to get the basics right according to the SRA. What evidence should you be collating?
• Ethics and Regulatory Compliance: Law Firms must comply with an increasingly complex regulatory framework established by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Allegations, investigations and disciplinary outcomes determined within the SRA under its increased sanctioning powers can lead to severe penalties and reputational damage but how can you manage the day to day risks from specialists in your firm who are not specialists in regulation?
• Creating: a personal “to-do list” to help you manage the risks in your law firm