Sanctions and PEP screening for law firms

Screen clients, counterparties and beneficiaries per matter — without adopting a full AML platform.

Client and matter-level screening

Law firms apply customer due diligence at the client level and often again at the matter level — a new counterparty in litigation, a beneficial owner in a property deal, a beneficiary of a trust. Screening is frequently ad-hoc and per-matter rather than high-volume, which is why a lightweight, standalone screening layer is more appropriate than a full AML platform.

Who you screen in legal practice

  • Clients and beneficial owners at onboarding.
  • Counterparties, opposing parties, third-party funders and trustees per matter.
  • Trust-account and estate beneficiaries.

How ClearSanction supports legal work

  • Sanctions and PEP screening for individuals and organisations.
  • Bulk Screening for legacy client remediation.
  • Continuous Monitoring for ongoing matters.
  • Audit Reports and Case Management to retain evidence of review.

Where screening fits in legal matters

  1. 1

    Client onboarding and matter opening

    Screen new clients and beneficial owners when taking on instructions, and again when a matter introduces new parties.

  2. 2

    High-value property, M&A and litigation

    Screen counterparties, opposing parties and third-party funders involved in significant matters.

  3. 3

    Trusts and estates

    Screen trustees and beneficiaries involved in trust and estate administration.

  4. 4

    Ongoing matters

    Re-screen clients during the life of a matter to catch changes to sanctions or PEP status.

Review and evidence

A returned record is a Potential Match for review, not a confirmed match. Match Score indicates the strength of identity correspondence and can help inform analyst review.

Case Management can hold the decision and rationale, and Audit Reports bring together available evidence of screening and review.

Screen each client and matter with confidence

Run a screening when a matter introduces a new party, or start a free search now.

Law firm screening — frequently asked questions

Can I screen parties introduced during a matter?

Yes — screening can be run whenever a matter introduces a new counterparty, funder or beneficiary, not only at client onboarding.


Can I keep evidence of screening for my files?

Case Management can hold a decision and rationale, and Audit Reports bring together available evidence of screening and review activity.