Verify 365, the Warwickshire-based AML checks provider for law firms, today announced a strategic partnership with a leading East Midlands-based solicitors practice, Double & Megson, which can now verify the identity of its clients and undertake AML checks online with a significantly reduced onboarding time and a completely frictionless client experience.

Double & Megson Solicitors are a two-office law practice based in Market Deeping and Bourne, specialising in family law, conveyancing, wills, probate, commercial, employment and litigation.  

Through this partnership, Verify 365 provides best-in-class electronic AML checks, Source of Funds analytics and an ID verification platform using its AI-powered technology for fraud detection, anti money laundering and client onboarding. 

“From now, our clients will simply use their smartphone to take a scan of the NFC-chip data contained in any government-issued ID document, which is required for HM Land Registry Safe Harbour ID compliance, and link this with a quick “selfie”, connect the platform to their online banking, and Verify 365’s AI-enhanced technology then performs a “verification analysis” of the presented document and data from the bank, in real time, to assess its authenticity and provide us with the source of funds analytics, thus helping us with anti-money laundering compliance and eliminating identity fraud. This automated process not only reduces the verification time but also improves the overall client experience, making the AML checks process much smoother and more secure,” says Shanta Shah, Partner at Double & Megson Solicitors.

The announcement of this partnership comes shortly after Verify 365 announced the launch of its “AML Intelligence Platform“, which aims to reduce the complexity of managing multiple sources and vendors of identity verification solutions to meet regulatory Know Your Customer (KYC) obligations while simplifying the process of mitigating fraud risk in an increasingly global legal marketplace.

The use of biometrics in the Legal Sector in England & Wales

Biometrics and other authentication technologies can help the legal sector create seamless and secure client experiences through digital client onboarding and stave off disruption in the process.

The Verify 365 “Intelligence Platform” allows law firms, estate agents and conveyancers to quickly adopt and integrate Verify 365’s latest client onboarding technology and create more secure and convenient ways for clients to verify themselves and pay for services on their smartphone devices through the company’s iOS and Android apps.

The Platform offers law firms an opportunity to access a fully “case management-integrated” digital client onboarding solution, which includes Verify’s latest authentication technologies such as liveness detection and automated NFC-chip verification technology, and provides a simple integration with case management systems such as Clio and Actionstep using Verify 365 APIs and SDKs — allowing law firms to easily implement, test and integrate the company’s market leading fraud-prevention and anti-money laundering software solution.

The Internet of Things is expected to grow to 30 billion connected devices by 2025, exponentially expanding the devices and environments in which commerce can take place — from wearables, such as rings and watches, to home personal assistants and connected cars. Many of these devices are voice activated and not designed for typical passwords — requiring a new approach to client authentication, such as face, fingerprint or voice recognition, document verification, or device and client identification.

Double & Megson Solicitors chose to partner with the Verify 365 platform because it is the only AML checks platform in the world which was developed by lawyers for lawyers, the superior client-centred experience, the ID document coverage (more than 10,000 of identity documents from over 195 countries) and its scalability, which means it can handle large volumes of high demand.

This alliance allows Double & Megson to improve its AML fraud protection system, stay compliant with HM Land Registry’s Safe Harbour Digital ID Standard and Solicitors Regulation Authority AML compliance, meet the AML ID requirements, but also to onboard new clients quickly by undertaken an AML check online while reducing client verification costs.

The key benefits of Verify 365 platform include:

– AML Compliance and Identity Verification provided within one integrated solution

– Firm can onboard clients from anywhere, no need for clients to visit an office

– Full compliance with HM Land Registry’s Safe Harbour Digital ID Standard 

– Full compliance with the Solicitors Regulation Authority Enhanced Due Diligence

– Verification fee recharged to the client – the system is effectively free for the firm 

– Access to verified and analysed source of funds (digital bank data) for every new client

– AML proof of address checks undertaken in seconds, verifying the address for your client

– Clients can easily make a payment on account during onboarding (digital payments) 

– Clients can e-sign digital documents during onboarding, including QES certified e-signatures

– Ability to onboard clients from over 195 countries and verify over 10,000 ID documents

Law firms are turning to collaborative partnerships and legal technology to eliminate fraud

“With Verify 365, we can now verify clients from more than 195 countries covering over 10,000 ID documents,” said Jay Shah, Compliance Manager at Double & Megson Solicitors.

“There is nothing like this in the legal sector at the moment and we are delighted to be able to leverage Verify 365’s technology which allows automated verification of our clients identity documents while using human experts to check for inconsistent data. More and more law firms are turning to collaborative partnerships and technology to eliminate fraud, protect from money-laundering risks and remain SRA-compliant. The partnership with Verify 365 allows us to strengthen the relationship with our clients and to make the transactions even more secure.”

Fully automated AML checks and ID verification platform

“Our AI-powered verification solution helps to automate AML checks and ID verification during client intake, onboarding and matter opening. We are proud to partner with Double & Megson to help streamline the AML and identity verification process, detect fraud, and satisfy SRA’s and HM Land Registry’s regulatory requirements,” says Azeem Rashid, COO at Verify 365.

If your law firm is looking for a digital client onboarding solution specifically developed for SRA regulated solicitors firms in England and Wales, please visit www.verify365.app. 

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BY VERIFY 365 NEWS

12 November 2022 | Stratford-upon-Avon