Virtual Verification for Law Firms: From Chaos to Clarity

by Nov 12, 2024

How Law Firms Can Use Law Society Rules to Elevate Client Trust

Your clients expect smooth, secure interactions, and when compliance is clunky, it shows. 

We know as much as anyone, no one LIKES going through an identification procedure, but they will tolerate a minimal amount of intrusiveness.

The more back-and-forth, the more time between steps, the more emails, video calls, document submissions, document resubmissions, another video call… the more frustrated your customer becomes.

You’ve seen it, we’ve seen it, they’ve felt it and they don’t want to go through the hassle, again.

But virtual verification doesn’t need to be time-consuming, error-prone, cumbersome, costly, or leave a bad first impression.

Let’s take a look at your law society’s newly imposed standards for virtual verification:

    • Comprehensive Risk Assessment:
      • Real-time monitoring of sanctions, PEPs, and all adverse media.
    • Virtual Meetings:
      • Peer-to-peer video calls with IDs present.
    • Photo ID Authentication Technology:
      • Authenticate government-issued photo IDs by detecting security features, watermarks, MRZ, and barcodes using technology.
    • Identity and Data Validation:
      • Validate user name, age, and address, and perform biometric facial matching and liveness detection to verify that the person matches the ID.
    • Detailed Record-Keeping:
      • Retain applicable dates and documents obtained for easy retrieval during audits or reviews according to law society rules.

Financial regulators such as FinCEN and FINTRAC, have been increasing the requirements for law firms to screen, monitor, and report on their clients for money laundering, human trafficking, and the financing of terrorism.

But beyond meeting all these requirements, you should consider the day-to-day workflows of your law office administration staff.

How much time is being spent on back-and-forth emails, data and document collection, or record-keeping?

It should be done in minutes, not hours.

We’ve seen many large law firms who have loosely patched together siloed systems for sanctions and political exposure checks, conflict checks, practice management, corporate due diligence, and are now struggling to fit virtual verification solutions into the mix.

This bandaid approach has fragmented their operations, has caused gaps or bottlenecks of information, and most importantly – invites risk to slip through the cracks.

Or smaller firms who try to do everything manually only to find that it hampers their business growth, demands excessive human capital, and results in significant human error.

Our solution, an integrated system for law firms to take the headache out of compliance by streamlining every step of the virtual verification process and integrating it seamlessly into your administrative operations.

From risk assessment, to live video calls, photo ID authentication or dual process method, real-time biometric facial recognition, custom document collection, and detailed record keeping— all in one turnkey system.

Meet your law society compliance requirements, save time with simplified workflows, and offer your clients the white-glove experience they deserve in a single, streamlined solution.

Vaidyanathan Chandrashekhar

Vaidyanathan Chandrashekhar

Advisors

“Chandy,” is a technology and risk expert with executive experience at Boston Consulting Group, Citi, and PwC. With over two decades in financial services, digital transformation, and enterprise risk, he advises iComply on scalable compliance infrastructure for global markets.
Thomas Linder

Thomas Linder

Advisors

Thomas is a global tax and compliance expert with deep specialization in digital assets, blockchain, and tokenization. As a partner at MME Legal | Tax | Compliance, he advises iComply on regulatory strategy, cross-border compliance, and digital finance innovation.
Thomas Hardjono

Thomas Hardjono

Advisors

Thomas is a renowned identity and cybersecurity expert, serving as CTO of Connection Science at MIT. With deep expertise in decentralized identity, zero trust, and secure data exchange, he advises iComply on cutting-edge technology and privacy-first compliance architecture.
Rodney Dobson

Rodney Dobson

Advisors

Rodney is the former President of ADP Canada and international executive with over two decades of leadership in global HR and enterprise technology. He advises iComply with deep expertise in international service delivery, M&A, and scaling high-growth operations across regulated markets.
Praveen Mandal

Praveen Mandal

Advisors

Praveen is a serial entrepreneur and technology innovator, known for leadership roles at Lucent Bell Labs, ChargePoint, and the Stanford Linear Accelerator. He advises iComply on advanced computing, scalable infrastructure, and the intersection of AI, energy, and compliance tech.
Paul Childerhose

Paul Childerhose

Advisors

Paul is a Canadian RegTech leader and founder of Maple Peak Group, with extensive experience in financial services compliance, AML, and digital transformation. He advises iComply on regulatory alignment, operational strategy, and scaling compliance programs in complex markets.
John Engle

John Engle

Advisors

John is a seasoned business executive with senior leadership experience at CIBC, UBS, and Accenture. With deep expertise in investment banking, private equity, and digital transformation, he advises iComply on strategic growth, partnerships, and global market expansion.
Jeff Bandman

Jeff Bandman

Advisors

Jeff is a former CFTC official and globally recognized expert in financial regulation, fintech, and digital assets. As founder of Bandman Advisors, he brings deep insight into regulatory policy, market infrastructure, and innovation to guide iComply’s global compliance strategy.
Greg Pearlman

Greg Pearlman

Advisors

Greg is a seasoned investment banker with over 35 years of experience, including leadership roles at BMO Capital Markets, Morgan Stanley, and Citigroup. Greg brings deep expertise in financial strategy and growth to support iComply's expansion in the RegTech sector.
Deven Sharma

Deven Sharma

Advisors

Deven is the former President of S&P and a globally respected authority in risk, data, and capital markets. With decades of leadership across financial services and tech, he advises iComply on strategic growth, governance, and the future of trusted data in AML compliance.