Jurisdictions & Regulatory Bodies
Understanding where you’re qualified to practise law and the bodies that regulate your professional conduct.
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What is a Jurisdiction?
A jurisdiction is a legal territory where you hold professional qualifications and are authorised to practise law. It’s determined by which regulatory body has granted you a licence or practising certificate - not where you physically work.
For example, if you’re admitted by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), your jurisdiction is England & Wales, even if your office is in Dubai or Singapore.
The jurisdictions you list, with the regulator and licence number for each, are what consumers use to confirm you are authorised to practise where they are.
Common Regulatory Bodies
Each jurisdiction has one or more regulatory bodies that license legal professionals.
England & Wales
Scotland
Ireland
Northern Ireland
Finding Your Regulatory Body
These are examples, not the full list. The regulators offered are filtered by the country, region and professional type you have chosen, so the options you see are the ones that can actually regulate that qualification. If yours is not listed, choose "Other" and give the regulator’s name and website.
If you are unsure which regulatory body you are registered with, check your practising certificate or admission documents. The regulatory body will be clearly stated on these documents.
If you are self-regulated, list the voluntary professional body you are a member of as your regulatory body.
Your Licence Number
Each regulatory body issues a unique licence number or registration number to qualified professionals. This number is used to verify your professional status.
Common formats include:
- SRA Number: 6-digit number (e.g. 123456)
- Law Society of Scotland: two letters followed by 4 to 6 digits (e.g. SC1234)
- Law Society of Northern Ireland: 5-digit number
- CILEX: 6-digit number
- BSB Number: the Bar number as provided by the BSB
Where a regulator has a fixed format, the form checks what you type against it and shows you the expected shape, so a mistyped number is caught before you submit.
Verification Required
Your licence number will be verified with the regulatory body as part of your application. Make sure you enter the correct number exactly as it appears on your practising certificate.
Your Main Jurisdiction
Every jurisdiction you add asks "Is this your main jurisdiction?", and exactly one of them can be marked as such. This determines:
- Where you appear first in directory listings
- Your main professional identity on the platform
You can change which jurisdiction is your main one at any time after your application is approved. Choose the jurisdiction where you do most of your work or want to attract the most clients.
This is a separate setting from the headquarters flag on your offices, which marks a physical location rather than a jurisdiction.
Choosing Your Main Jurisdiction
If you are equally active in several jurisdictions, consider choosing the one where you want to grow your practice the most.
Multiple Jurisdictions
Many legal professionals are qualified in more than one jurisdiction. Our application fully supports multi-jurisdiction practice. For each jurisdiction, you’ll specify:
- The country, and the region within it where that applies
- One row per qualification you hold there, each with its professional type, regulatory body and licence number
- Whether it is your main jurisdiction
- Which offices serve that jurisdiction
See our Office-Jurisdiction Linking guide for details on connecting your offices to your jurisdictions.
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