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Hello, and welcome back to COLP Insider. This edition has a distinct client money flavour. The Ministry of Justice has launched a consultation on interest earned on client account, with proposals [...]

By Samantha Bray We all like to think that the red lines are obvious. You don’t fake a signature. You don’t “tidy up” an attendance note after the event and pretend it was written at the time. [...]

By Sophie Cisler Like buses, consultations on how law firms deal with interest generated on client account seem to come one after the other. The SRA were wringing their hands about it last year, [...]

Client account reconciliations are one of the few truly prescriptive controls left in the Accounts Rules. For a busy COFA they can feel routine, even a bit dull, but the panel’s starting point [...]

Happy New Year – and welcome to the first COLP Insider of 2026. If you’re reading this with a January inbox that already feels like it’s been through a spin cycle, you’re not alone. The [...]

There’s a moment every COLP recognises. A partner leans back and says, “We’ve always done it this way.” Or: “Don’t overthink it.” Or (a personal favourite): “We’ll tidy it up later.” It’s rarely [...]

The SRA may have stepped back from immediate, sweeping change to the client account model, but it has kept the regulatory spotlight firmly on COFAs. Its latest consumer protection consultation [...]

By Sophie Cisler New year, new you? If you’re thinking about your AML compliance, assessing your track record of assessing and submitting Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) is a good place to [...]

Welcome to the final COLP Insider of 2025, the Christmas jumper edition. Thanks for sticking with us through another year of consultations, warning notices and AML acronyms. We’ll be taking a [...]

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 is quietly transforming Companies House from a passive registry into something more like a financial crime gatekeeper. At the heart of this [...]