New Firm Setup: Everything You Need in Your First 90 Days

A practical 90-day checklist for setting up a new UK law firm; SRA authorisation, banking, IT, compliance, and the systems you need from day one.

Starting a new law firm is exciting, stressful, and full of decisions that have long-term consequences. The firms that get through the first 90 days cleanly are the ones that start earning sooner, avoid compliance problems, and build a foundation that scales. The firms that don't spend their first year firefighting; fixing things that should have been set up properly at the start.

This guide covers everything a new firm needs in its first 90 days, in the order it needs to happen.

Days 1-30: Authorisation and banking

SRA authorisation

Before you can practice, you need SRA authorisation. This is the critical path; nothing else happens until you're authorised.

[ ] Submit your application to the SRA; including the firm-wide risk assessment, business plan, and compliance officer nominations (COLP and COFA)
[ ] Nominate your MLRO
[ ] Ensure all principals are on the Roll of Solicitors
[ ] If you're a sole practitioner, confirm you meet the SRA's requirements for sole practice
[ ] Wait for SRA approval (typically 4-8 weeks, though it can take longer for complex applications)

Banking

[ ] Open the firm's office account; this is the operating account for the firm's own money
[ ] Open the client account; for holding client money. The account name must include the word "client"
[ ] Set up Stripe for card payments; clients expect to be able to pay by card
[ ] Set up accounting integration with Xero or QuickBooks; your accountant will need this
[ ] Configure dual authorisation on the client account if possible (even as a sole practitioner, having a second authoriser; your reporting accountant or a trusted contact; is good practice)

Insurance

[ ] Arrange professional indemnity insurance (PII); mandatory before you can practice. The SRA requires minimum cover of £3 million (or higher depending on your firm's turnover and work type)
[ ] Arrange office insurance; contents, equipment, business interruption
[ ] Consider cyber insurance; increasingly important for firms handling client data digitally

Premises

[ ] Secure office space (or confirm you will work from a serviced office/home; the SRA allows this, but you must have a professional setup)
[ ] If working from home, ensure you have a private space for client meetings and compliance with data protection requirements

Days 30-60: Systems and compliance

IT and systems

[ ] Choose and implement practice management software; this is the backbone of the firm. Don't delay this. Running a firm on spreadsheets and email for the first 3 months creates problems that take months to fix
[ ] Set up Microsoft 365; email, Word, Excel, SharePoint, Teams. This is the foundation for document management and client communication
[ ] Set up document management; per-matter folders, access controls, version history. SharePoint is the recommended approach
[ ] Configure time recording; make sure every fee earner is recording time from day one
[ ] Set up professional email (e.g., name@yourfirm.co.uk; not @gmail)
[ ] Enable 2FA on all accounts; email, practice management, banking, Microsoft 365

Compliance framework

[ ] Document your AML policies and procedures; CDD, EDD, source of funds, ongoing monitoring, SARs
[ ] Complete the firm-wide AML risk assessment (you need this for SRA authorisation, but keep it current)
[ ] Set up KYC/AML verification; integrate Checkboard or equivalent into your client onboarding process
[ ] Document your conflict checking procedure
[ ] Create your client care letter template; this goes to every new client
[ ] Create your complaints handling procedure (required by the SRA; must signpost to the Legal Ombudsman)
[ ] Write your data protection policy and privacy notice
[ ] Set up a breach response plan for data incidents
[ ] Document your file retention policy

Accounting

[ ] Set up your client and office account ledgers in your practice management system
[ ] Establish a reconciliation schedule; monthly at minimum
[ ] Engage a reporting accountant; they will review your compliance with the Accounts Rules
[ ] Set up billing templates; interim and final bills, disbursement tracking, VAT

Days 60-90: Client-facing and growth

Website and online presence

[ ] Build a website with the required SRA Transparency Rules information; pricing for required services, complaints procedure, diversity data
[ ] Claim your Google Business Profile; this is how clients find you locally
[ ] Set up a professional domain email (name@yourfirm.co.uk)
[ ] Consider a blog or resource section; content marketing is one of the most effective ways for a new firm to build visibility. See our blog for examples of legal content that works
[ ] List on legal directories; the SRA's "Find a Solicitor" page, Law Society directory, and relevant niche directories

Client acquisition

[ ] Identify your pricing model; fixed fees, hourly rates, or hybrid
[ ] Create pricing sheets for your core services (conveyancing, wills, probate, etc.)
[ ] Build a referral network; other solicitors who don't do your type of work, accountants, estate agents
[ ] Set up LinkedIn profiles for the firm and key fee earners
[ ] Consider a founding firm offer or introductory pricing to build your initial client base

Operations

[ ] Create an operations checklist; the things that need to happen every week, every month, every quarter
[ ] Set up regular file reviews; the supervising partner (or you, if a sole practitioner) should review open files regularly
[ ] Establish a time recording discipline; record time from day one, contemporaneously, in six-minute units
[ ] Set up limitation date tracking; this is the one thing you cannot afford to get wrong
[ ] Create a file closure process; start closing files properly from your first completed matter

The one thing to get right first

If you only do one thing well in your first 90 days, make it this: set up your practice management system properly. Everything else; compliance, billing, time recording, document management; flows from having a system that works.

Firms that try to run on spreadsheets for the first few months, planning to "get a proper system later," invariably find that the spreadsheets become the system. And spreadsheet-based practices are harder to run, harder to keep compliant, and harder to migrate when you finally do get a proper system.

Start as you mean to go on.

Where OrdoLux fits

OrdoLux is a matter-centric practice management platform designed for small UK law firms; everything a new firm needs from day one, in one platform, at £50 + VAT per user per month.

Everything included: time recording (desktop, WhatsApp, automated), billing with Stripe, SRA-compliant accounting, SharePoint document storage, Checkboard KYC/AML, built-in e-signature, 350+ court forms, and Cas AI; no per-module pricing, no lock-in, rolling monthly.

We also offer a Founding Firm Offer; 6 months free for a small number of new firms.

See all features, view pricing, or book a demo.

If you are still working through authorisation itself, our free SRA authorisation checklist and readiness tool builds a personalised checklist for your route and includes a starter pack of the compliance templates mentioned above.