Are you confused about providing an ID to law firms? One would assume that the laws created to protect the common people of Canada would be easy to understand.

Identity verification is an integral part of the legal process, and law firms must follow strict rules to ensure that their clients’ identities are verified accurately. When clients provide identification documents, law firms can confirm that they are indeed who they claim to be, which is crucial in various legal matters, such as litigation, estate planning, and other legal transactions.

Law firms are required to adhere to stringent protocols when verifying their clients’ identities to prevent fraud and safeguard the interests of all parties involved. Verifying clients’ identities allows law firms to confirm that they are communicating with the correct person, thus preventing unauthorized access to confidential information.

Providing an ID to a law firm

When providing an ID to a law firm, clients can expect that their personal information will be checked against various databases to verify their identity. The process may entail confirming their name, date of birth, and address against government databases, and reviewing their credit history to ascertain their financial standing.

In some cases, clients may be required to provide additional documentation, such as proof of address or employment, to validate their identity. Although this may take some time, it is essential to ensure that all legal matters are handled correctly and in compliance with the law.

Overall, providing an ID to a law firm is a crucial aspect of the legal process. It is required to authenticate the identity of clients, prevent fraud, and safeguard the interests of all parties involved. Clients should expect their personal information to be scrutinized against various databases and be prepared to provide additional documentation if necessary. By following these procedures, law firms can ensure that they provide their clients with the best possible legal representation while upholding the highest levels of integrity and professionalism.

Understanding how law firms work

Ideally, there would be little to no legal jargon that would get in our way of getting a better understanding of how the law works. And yet, the law is very complicated and not “user-friendly.”

Most people are unaware of their basic legal rights. They have no idea of when the law changes in our legal system. What most people think they know about law comes from what they see in movies.

When you use the law society lawyer lookup service, you should have your ID ready to be shown.

Some people are confused about why they must share their financial information and ID with a law firm. This is because they are just hiring a lawyer to do a marriage agreement or separation agreement.

There have been changes in our country’s client verification and identification system. Basically, client verification and identification rules continue to become far stricter than they were before.

You should check out our guide to litigation. It’s a helpful resource for those going through the justice system.

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It’s A Law Society Rule

Essentially, the Law Society rules have been updated to give clients more options to confirm their identity. There are more stringent requirements in order to get your identity verified.

Law firms also sometimes must obtain additional information regarding the source of funds that you are paying, receiving or transferring.

According to anti-money laundering rules, you might be legally required to share this information with your bank.

In a typical legal procedure, your lawyer needs to identify you. The lawyer must lay down the entirety of the work to be completed by them (or their firm).

And they must make clear the terms of payment and how much they will charge you. Certain provinces require lawyers to collect information that’s more popularly known as “know your client.”

This should be explained in the letter of engagement that you sign with your lawyer. Do understand that you will have to share sensitive information with your lawyer or your law firm.

This article will cover everything briefly for your convenience.

The lawyers also will have to have a “face-to-face” meeting with you via video conferencing. This is how the lawyers verify that your face matches the ID provided.

When am I needed to provide my ID to law firms?

Do you have to make any transactions involving large amounts of funds? Are you completing an activity relating to finances (mortgages, transfer of land, etc.?)

Then you must provide your ID to prove you are who you say you are.

Basically, an ID verification proves to the government that you’re a legitimate person/business that is performing a perfectly legal activity.

Such checking of people’s identification help deters illegitimate money transactions from occurring. Without ID checks, it would likely encourage criminals, and even terrorists, to indulge in illegal activities and use law firms to help them.

If you have been interacting with a lawyer, search for them, and leave a review. You should always check out reviews before hiring an attorney.

What Information Does The Law Society Require?

Your full name
Permanent address
Your home address
Occupation
Telephone or mobile number

Ideal documents that you need to carry with you in order to ID yourself can be your driving license, a provincial or territorial health insurance card, or your passport.

You may require a utility bill (not more than 3 months old) for proof of address. Most of the time law firms just ask for a driver’s license. Sometimes a lawyer might ask for your SIN card.

What do I do if I do not have an occupation?

Your lawyer will often ask what you do. When you insist on not disclosing your occupation, know that your lawyers will likely refuse to work with you.

If you have professional obligations that prevent you from disclosing the nature of your work, tell your lawyer.

If, however, you are unemployed, you volunteer, are a homemaker, are in-between jobs or not actively looking for work, do not hesitate to share this information with your lawyer.

People often confuse “occupation” with “employment”, but this is not true.

What happens if I am unable to fulfill the criteria needed to identify or verify my ID?

Being unable to fulfill a certain criterion is viewed differently from being unwilling to provide information pertaining to the criteria.

If you are someone who does not have a permanent home, your lawyer is under no obligation to withdraw their legal services. If certain information about you does not exist, then just explain it to your lawyer.

But you will need to provide ID to your lawyer, or most lawyers will not work with you.

Is all this information privileged?

Yes. Your lawyer is bound by Canadian laws of client-lawyer privilege. However, you should be aware that your lawyer will be required by law to keep a record of your documents.

Please note that the affordable lawyers keep that record on the cloud.

Do I have to be physically present for the verification to take place?

No, many lawyers work with their clients online. The lawyers just need to be confident that you are who you say you are. Some of the lawyers on our platform use video conferencing to check as needed.

Is there a difference between verification and identification?

As a matter of fact, there is.

Identification is the basic information that you provide to your lawyers about yourself, such as your name and address.

Verification ensures your lawyer confirms that you are who your ID states you are.

But I have already shared my information with another lawyer before.

In that case, you can submit the same documents and information (that you did to your previous lawyer), to your existing lawyer. But they will likely recheck your ID.

ID To Law Firms

What do I do if I still have doubts regarding this process?

If you have any confusion or questions regarding the kind of documents you can submit, reach out to your lawyer.

If you want to know an estimate of how long the entire legal process will take or your lawyer’s fees, you can reach out to us via the live chat function. We can connect you to a top lawyer for a consultation.

We will help you in every way that we can.

If you want to hire an attorney, you must provide ID to law firms.

Author: Alistair Vigier is the CEO of ClearWay Law

ID Verification: Why Law Firms Require It

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