Start your solicitor practice with a clear 2026 plan
Which route you can practise under depends on who contracts with the client, what services you provide, whether you will handle client money, and how the practice is structured. This page sets out the England and Wales requirements as published by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, with the source and date against every one.
- England & Wales only
- Every requirement sourced and dated
- Last checked against the SRA: 30 July 2026
- General information, not legal advice
“New solicitor” can mean four different things
A newly admitted employee, a consultant solicitor, a freelance solicitor and the founder of an authorised firm are not operating under the same regulatory structure. The requirements below differ by route, so identify yours first.
Newly admitted or employed
Building experience, competence and supervision inside an existing firm. Your practising certificate, supervision arrangements and competence record are the foundations for any later independent route.
Consultant solicitor
Practising through an existing authorised firm. The decisive questions are who contracts with the client, whose insurance applies, who runs conflict and AML checks, and who owns the client relationship on exit.
Freelance solicitor
Self-employed, practising personally and directly for clients outside an authorised firm. Subject to specific conditions set out below — several of which surprise people.
Authorised firm
A recognised sole practice, recognised body or licensed body. The SRA authorises the business, and the requirements are materially heavier.
The freelance solicitor conditions, in full
A solicitor relying on the SRA freelance route to provide reserved legal activities must meet all of the following:
- have practised as a solicitor for a minimum of three years since admission or registration;
- be self-employed and practise in their own name — not through a trading name or service company;
- not employ anyone in connection with the services provided. The SRA gives “employ” its natural meaning, and it can include contracting with someone else in connection with those services even if you do not call them an employee;
- hold client money only where it is for payments on account of costs and disbursements not yet billed. Other client money — damages, estate funds — cannot be held on this route;
- have a practising address in the UK;
- take out and maintain indemnity insurance providing “adequate and appropriate” cover for the services provided, reserved and unreserved.
Authorised firms: supervision, and how long authorisation takes
Supervision
An authorised body must have its regulated work supervised by at least one person who has practised as a lawyer for at least three years. That person may be a manager or employee of the body, or an external resource.
How long authorisation takes
The SRA states that it aims to decide within 90 days where possible, but that a decision could take up to 180 days. Apply well before your intended launch date.
The SRA authorises three kinds of body: recognised sole practices, recognised bodies, and licensed bodies (including multi-disciplinary practices).
What you must publish once you are trading
Where a firm publishes the services covered by the rules, it must publish the total cost or an average or range; the experience and qualifications of those doing and supervising the work; likely disbursements and their cost; whether VAT applies and how much; the key stages and likely timescales; complaints information including how to contact the Legal Ombudsman and the SRA; and required regulatory information including the SRA number and digital badge.
Anti-money laundering
The current Legal Sector Affinity Group (LSAG) guidance, approved by HM Treasury, takes effect from 23 April 2025 and is the central source for AML-regulated legal work.
On the horizon — not yet in force
How many firms are there?
As at June 2026 the SRA recorded 8,916 firms, of which 1,327 were sole practices — just under 15%. Independent practice is a well-populated route, not an unusual one.
Where this platform stops
| This page does | This page does not |
|---|---|
| Set out published SRA requirements with sources and dates | Tell you that you are eligible or approved |
| Distinguish current rules from proposals | Grant or predict SRA authorisation |
| Show you which questions decide your route | Replace advice on your own circumstances |
| Say when a source is old or a rule is changing | Confirm that a source is still current today |
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Practice-route, readiness-scoring and business-plan tools are in development and are not yet available. This page is published now because the sourced requirements above are useful on their own; we would rather say that than put a button on a tool that does not exist.
Requirements depend on your services, professional status, structure, ownership, supervision and client-money arrangements. Every requirement above carries the SRA source it came from and the date we last checked it. Regulatory positions change and we do not monitor them continuously — check the current SRA position and take advice from a solicitor before relying on anything here.
Information last verified against the SRA: 30 July 2026.