- Farsley 0113 236 2333
- Horsforth 0113 258 6888
- Whitkirk 0113 264 3444
- Wibsey 01274 693600
- Idle 01274 616400
You arrived at this page by selecting:A lawyer has to check the identity of his client by insisting on documentary proof of identity and address, and record this on the computer.
In addition, if the client is a trustee or corporate body (other than the personal representative of a deceased person), or the instructions relate to property that is not entirely the client's beneficially (other than the estate of a deceased person), then
1. the lawyer must also get details of beneficial owners of the property or corporation concerned, and
2. any beneficial owners of 25% or more must also be entered into the computer with proof of identity.
The law does not lay down hard and fast rules about what proof of identity and address should be required. However, as a general rule you will need to provide separate documentary evidence of your identity and of your address. And the proof of identity should ideally be photographic.
The most common way to prove identity is by production of a passport of a driving licence. The most common way to prove address is by production of a utility bill or bank statement, or something of that sort. But the same document cannot be used to prove both the name and the address, and all the documents should be current or no more than 3 months old. Only originals are acceptable, not copies and not downloads from the Internet.
The lawyer will take a copy of the documents and return the originals to you.
Refusal, avoidance or reluctance to prove identity or address might have to be legally notified to the police.
A lawyer is entitled to charge for establishing your identity, and in cases of difficulty the matter might have to be referred upwards for further advice, which would incur additional costs.
