SRA Regulation FAQ's

How we're regulated - answers to the questions you should be asking

Lawbox is an alternative legal service provider, not a traditional law firm. That gives you real advantages, and it also means a few of the protections that come with a traditional firm work differently. We’d rather you knew all of it before we start, so here it is.

can Lawbox give me legal advice?

Yes. Some of our team are UK qualified, practising solicitors who hold current practising certificates and have many years of experience. Others are experienced commercial and compliance specialists, paralegals and consultants. Your Matter Confirmation tells you who is leading your work.

are you a law firm?

No. Lawbox Group Ltd is a legal business management and compliance consultancy. The company is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Our solicitors, however, are regulated by the SRA as individuals, in the same way as a solicitor at any other firm, and they are held to the same professional standards in the work they do for you. You can read more here:

Please note that these pages are maintained by the SRA and the Legal Ombudsman, not by us, and may change from time to time.

why does that arrangement exist?

Most commercial legal work is not a ‘reserved legal activity’ under the Legal Services Act 2007, which means it does not have to be delivered by an SRA regulated firm. Regulated firms carry significant compliance and insurance costs, which are reflected in their fees. Working outside that structure is how we keep good legal advice accessible and how we can shape our pricing and our service around you.

what can’t you do for me?

Some legal work still needs a traditional law firm. We do not take on:

Litigation, including suing, being sued, and bringing or defending claims.
Conveyancing, meaning buying and selling property, including business premises.
Probate and dealing with someone’s estate after they have died.
Notarial acts and administering oaths.
Anything with a financial services element that requires FCA authorisation.

Our specialism is non-contentious commercial work: contracts, corporate, intellectual property, data protection, employment documentation, legal design and regulatory compliance. None of that requires an SRA regulated firm. If you need something we can’t do, we’ll introduce you to a firm we trust.

Tell us first. Raise it with the person you’re working with, or email our Managing Director, Jamie Murray at onwards@lawboxlegal.com. We’ll acknowledge it within 3 working days and give you a full written response within 4 weeks. There’s no charge, and this applies to every client.

If you’re still not satisfied, or if eight weeks pass, you may be able to take a complaint about the service provided by one of our solicitors, or by someone working under their supervision, to the Legal Ombudsman. It is free, and it is independent of us.

Whether you can use the Legal Ombudsman depends on the size of your business. It can generally take complaints from individuals, and from businesses with fewer than 10 employees and a turnover or balance sheet of no more than €2 million. Charities and trusts below certain thresholds can use it too. If your business is bigger than that, the Legal Ombudsman won’t be able to help, but our complaints procedure still applies, and your right to bring a claim against us is unaffected.

If you are eligible, you would normally need to complain within six months of our final response, and within one year of the problem arising or of when you should reasonably have known about it. You’ll find them at legalombudsman.org.uk.

What about the SRA? Concerns about the professional conduct of an individual solicitor can be reported to the SRA. The SRA doesn’t handle ordinary service complaints or fee disputes, and it cannot award compensation. Those belong with our complaints procedure and, where you’re eligible, the Legal Ombudsman.

is what I tell you privileged?

Legal advice privilege protects confidential legal advice given by a qualified lawyer acting as a lawyer. It means that advice can be kept confidential, including in court. Because Lawbox is not a regulated law firm, not everything we do carries that protection, and advice from members of our team who are not solicitors will not usually be privileged. Where your advice comes from one of our practising solicitors, acting in that capacity, it attracts legal advice privilege in the usual way. Privilege can be lost if the advice is shared more widely, so if a matter is sensitive, keep our advice within your organisation and ask us if you are unsure.

what insurance do you have?

We hold £3,000,000 of professional indemnity insurance. Because we’re not an SRA regulated firm, we’re not required to hold the SRA’s ‘minimum terms’ cover, which sets out particular conditions that an insurer must meet. We hold our cover by choice, and it gives you meaningful protection in the unlikely event that something goes wrong.

what protections do I not get?

We’d rather set these out plainly than have you discover them later.

We don’t hold client money. Traditional firms can hold money for you in a client account, and that money is protected by the SRA Compensation Fund. We don’t operate a client account, so we can’t hold money for you in that way. If your matter needs money to be held by a third party, we’ll tell you and help you arrange it.
Our insurance is not on SRA minimum terms. See above. Our cover is £3m, but it is not subject to the SRA’s specific conditions.
A Legal Ombudsman decision would be directed at the solicitor, not at us. Because the Ombudsman has no jurisdiction over the company, any order it makes is against the individual solicitor personally. If you would rather pursue the company, your route is a claim against Lawbox in the usual way, and our professional indemnity insurance stands behind that.
You can’t apply to the SRA Compensation Fund. Clients of SRA regulated firms may be able to apply to that fund in certain circumstances. Our clients cannot, even if they would otherwise be eligible. Lawbox does not operate a client account. The 50% payment on account goes into the business account, which is consistent with not holding client money.

so what do I actually get?

Senior lawyers. Your work is led by experienced solicitors, in-house consultants and commercial specialists, not delegated down a chain.
SRA standards where it matters. Our solicitors are individually regulated and must act in your best interests, regardless of what suits our business.
Independent recourse. The Legal Ombudsman is available for complaints about their service.
£3m of professional indemnity cover.
Pricing that makes sense. Transparent fees, clear estimates and subscription options, without a traditional firm’s cost base built into every hour.

still have questions?

Ask us. Email onwards@lawboxlegal.com or call 01865 952 710. We’d rather answer an awkward question now than have it sit in the back of your mind.