Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Separate business definition

What does Separate business mean? In practice, a separate business is an unregulated associated business owned, controlled or closely connected with a solicitor or law firm, used to deliver services outside legal-services regulation. In England and Wales, the term is defined in the SRA Glossary (under the SRA Standards and Regulations) rather than legislation, and captures any connected undertaking not authorised by the SRA or another Legal Services Act 2007 approved regulator. Key features and risks include: it cannot provide reserved legal activities to the public unless the entity is authorised; clients must not be misled about regulatory protections; branding, referrals and publicity must make...

Introduction to a Separate Business: SRA Compliance Attendance Note on Transparency, Regulatory Status, Commission, Confidentiality, Best Interests and Informed Consent (England and Wales)

Published by a LexisNexis Practice Compliance expert

Precedents

1 client details

Client’s name [ insert client name ]
Client reference [ insert client number ]
Matter ref [ insert matter number ]
Matter summary [ insert matter description ]
Responsible fee-earner [ insert fee earner ]
supervisor [ insert supervisor ]
Has this client approached us following a joint marketing initiative with the separate business? ☐ Yes ☐ No

If yes, you must exercise additional care at section 3 to ensure the client appreciates the distinction in regulatory status between our firm and the separate business and the implications of those distinctions, particularly if the matter is to be shared with the separate business.

2 The separate business and proposed introduction

Name of separate business [ insert name ]
Describe the services the separate business will deliver to the client [ insert description of services ]

3 Transparency

Is the client acting in the course of their trade, business or profession? ☐ Yes ☐ No

If no, the client is a consumer client and you should bear this in mind when setting out the various issues raised in this attendance note, i.e. take extra care to make sure they understand...

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Web page updated on 22/05/2026

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