Client care letters & TOB

This subtopic reflects regulatory and statutory requirements in relation to law firm client care letters (CCL) and terms of business (TOB). See also Precedents: Client care letter—law firms and Terms of business—law firms.

There is very little information that the SRA specifically requires you to provide to the client in writing at the outset of their matter, ie in your CCL or TOB. In fact, there is no regulatory requirement to have either a CCL or a TOB document. However, the SRA clearly expects firms to have a CCL, as it has produced guidance on client care letters, which is reflected in this subtopic.

For guidance on the substantive content of your CCL and TOB, see Practice Note: Client care letter and terms of business—information requirements.

Generic SRA requirements

When drafting or reviewing your CCL and TOB, you should remember your general obligations under the SRA Standards and Regulations to:

•
ensure clients are in a position to make informed decisions
•
maintain trust and act fairly
•
comply with equality and diversity requirements, and
•
identify your client

See Practice Note: Client

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