Regulatory & Client Information
Independent cross-border consultancy from London, with regulated and reserved work clearly separated and handled by appropriately authorised professionals where required.
1. Status of Royal Law
Royal Law is a trading name of Hamilton & Nassouri R Lawyers Ltd. The company is not authorised or regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority as a law firm and must not be understood or represented as an SRA-authorised practice.
2. Individually regulated professionals
Royal Law may work with individuals who hold their own professional authorisation or registration, including solicitors, Registered Foreign Lawyers, barristers or foreign lawyers. Their personal regulatory status is separate from the company. Where a regulated individual provides services on a matter, the engagement documentation will identify the individual, their professional status, the work for which they are responsible and the protections that apply.
3. Reserved legal activities
Royal Law does not offer reserved legal activities to the public through the consultancy. In England and Wales, reserved legal activities include the exercise of rights of audience, conduct of litigation, reserved instrument activities, reserved probate activities, notarial activities and administration of oaths, subject to the statutory definitions and exemptions.
If a matter requires reserved work, the client will ordinarily be referred to or separately engage an appropriately authorised provider. Royal Law may continue to provide clearly separated non-reserved consultancy or coordination where lawful and appropriate.
4. Immigration, claims management and regulated financial services
Royal Law does not provide immigration advice or immigration services through the consultancy unless the business has the required separate authorisation or a lawful exemption applies. Royal Law does not provide regulated claims management services or regulated financial services through the consultancy unless the relevant authorisation applies.
5. Foreign and local law
Advice on the law of another jurisdiction is provided only by a person professionally entitled to give that advice. Royal Law may coordinate local counsel, but does not use a London presence or an international network to imply a licence to practise the law of another jurisdiction.
6. Professional indemnity insurance
Royal Law is not subject to the SRA's compulsory minimum terms and conditions for professional indemnity insurance that apply to SRA-authorised firms. Before a matter is accepted, the engagement documentation will state whether the work is covered by any applicable professional indemnity insurance. Relevant information about the scope and limit of any applicable cover will be provided on request where appropriate.
7. SRA Compensation Fund
The SRA Compensation Fund protections that apply to clients of SRA-authorised firms do not apply to Royal Law merely because an individual professional may be personally regulated by the SRA. Clients should not assume that a Compensation Fund claim is available in respect of services provided by Royal Law as an unauthorised business.
8. Legal Ombudsman and SRA
Where services are provided by, or within the regulatory responsibility of, an individually authorised professional, the Legal Ombudsman and/or the individual's regulator may have jurisdiction in accordance with their rules. Those rights do not automatically extend to every service provided by Royal Law or by a non-authorised person. The engagement documentation will explain the position relevant to the matter.
9. Complaints
Royal Law operates a written complaints procedure. Complaints about services should first be made to Royal Law so that we have an opportunity to resolve them. Where the Legal Ombudsman has jurisdiction, clients will be informed of their right to refer the complaint after our internal process and of the applicable time limits.
Read our Complaints Procedure →
10. Client money
Royal Law does not operate an SRA-regulated client account. Clients must not send money intended to be held on behalf of a third party or as regulated client money unless a lawful structure and written payment instructions have first been expressly confirmed. Payments of Royal Law's own invoiced fees are not client-account deposits.
11. Confidentiality and privilege
We maintain confidentiality obligations applicable to the work we accept and process personal data in accordance with applicable data-protection law. Legal professional privilege is fact-sensitive and clients should not assume that every communication with an unauthorised business attracts the same privilege protections as communications made in a different regulated structure. Where privilege is material, the engagement structure should be considered at the outset.
12. Conflicts, referrals and external providers
We conduct conflict and scope checks before accepting work. If we recommend or coordinate an external provider, any financial interest, referral arrangement or material connection that must be disclosed will be explained. External providers remain responsible for their own professional duties and terms unless a different lawful arrangement is expressly documented.
13. Fees and scope
Before substantive work begins, clients receive written information about the scope of work, who is responsible for it, the fee basis and any external professional costs that can reasonably be identified. Royal Law does not rely on headline claims or generic website wording as a substitute for matter-specific engagement terms.