There are two parts to the application relating to Entity Authorisation:
- Entity Authorisation application form
- Approved Manager application form
By familiarising yourself with these forms you will have a better idea of the information you will need to provide to have your firm authorised.
There will be some elements of these forms that you will not be able to complete at this stage, but as you work through the other stages in this process you will gain the information necessary to complete them, so don’t worry if you can’t complete them in full now.
In addition, there is a checklist of supporting documents that you might need both to operate your firm and to provide as evidence to us with your application.
The following link and documents will help you with this stage:
Now is the time to map out the structure of your firm – again don’t worry if this changes throughout the process. What it will do is help you identify the best structure for your firm and what skills and experience you may need to acquire or bring in to help you. We would describe this as the:
- Who – is going to be involved in managing and who has the qualifications to provide the legal services and run the business?
- What – type of business is it (sole trader, Ltd Co, LLP) and what services are you offering?
- Where – are you going to be working from and where are you going to obtain your clients from?
- How – will you be managing risk and how will you look after your clients?
- Why – will you make it a success and why will it be different from your competitors?
Use the suggested layout above to briefly set this out if you haven’t done so already. It will help you with your planning in a later stage.
