By Micah Lee

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (‘SRA’) confirmed that reports of fake law firms and fake solicitors have increased by more than 125% in the last few years.

A bogus or fake law firm and/or solicitor may fall into either of these categories:

1. Firms and individuals purporting to be a genuine law firm or solicitor, such as cloning the website of a legitimate firm and pretending to work at that firm to scam consumers; or
2. Firms and individuals who are not regulated while practicing activities that require regulation, such individuals who provide immigration advice or services in the UK without being regulated by the SRA or OISC.

There are consequences for these firms and individuals. If they are caught, they may be liable to criminal sanctions such as, imprisonment.

The importance of regulation is to protect the public interests and consumers of legal services. They are monitored by an independent organisation to ensure compliance with the rules. For instance, the SRA regulates and monitors law firms and solicitors.

On their website, the SRA states: “There are serious and continuing risks to the public arising from the activities of criminals and criminal gangs who set up bogus law firms or bogus branch offices of genuine law firms… It is a criminal offence for someone to call themselves a solicitor or act as a solicitor if they are not on the roll of solicitors. We call these people ‘bogus solicitors’ and we may prosecute them…”

It is important to make enquiries regarding your legal matters with multiple law firms and/or solicitors. This allows you to understand what options are available to you and the variety of costs entailed. However, bogus law firms and solicitors will go the extra mile to appear legitimate. Therefore, it is easy to become a victim.

The ‘Red Flags’

There are red flags to watch out for when looking for or if you are approached by a bogus firm or solicitor, this includes:

• Generic email address, eg JaneDoe@gmail.com. Most genuine law firms have email addresses which include the name of the firm;
• Incorrect spelling in their communications such as, their email or website;
• If they do not have a physical address;
• If they are unable to show or prove they are licensed to act on your behalf and regulated, eg if they cannot provide their SRA number;
• If they market or advertise on social media, such as Facebook, offering their legal services.

If one or more of the above factors apply, it does not necessarily mean the firm or solicitor is bogus but may give rise to further inquiries.

If you are suspicious of a bogus law firm and/or solicitor:

• Check the Solicitor’s Register on the SRA website (sra.org.uk/consumers/register)
• Check the ‘Find a Solicitor’ on the Law Society website,

(if you are based in England or Wales https://solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk/)

(if you are based in Scotland https://www.lawscot.org.uk/find-a-solicitor/)

(if you are based in Northern Ireland https://www.lawsoc-ni.org/solicitors) 

• Check the ‘Find an Immigration Adviser’ on the gov.uk website (https://www.gov.uk/find-an-immigration-adviser)
• Check if the law firm/solicitor have an official website.

If you become a victim of a bogus law firm and/or solicitor:

• Contact the SRA on 0370 606 2555 or their website (SRA.org.uk/home/contact-us)
• Contact the OISC Advisor Finder on complaints@oisc.gov.uk, please refer to the gov.uk website for the full procedure (https://www.gov.uk/find-an-immigration-adviser/complain-about-an-adviser)
• Contact your Legal Ombudsman by calling them on 0300 555 0333 or enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

It is important to remain vigilant and wary of individuals and organisations that raise these red flags. If you suspect or are a victim of one, you should raise awareness and report it to ensure it does not happen to anyone else. It is better to take practical steps to prevent this from happening than to deal with the consequences.

If you want to seek legal advice pertaining to this matter, please contact us on our website at https://www.lawyery.co/ or email us at crystal.dias@lawyery.co micah.lee@lawyery.co or call us at 020 3576 1275.