1. [Insights](/insights/) 2. [Technology](/insights/category/technology/) 3. [How to get fee earners to own compliance in your l...](/insights/how-to-get-fee-earners-to-own-compliance-in-your-law-firm/) [Technology](/insights/category/technology/)[Opinion](/insights/category/opinion/)[AML Compliance](/insights/category/aml-compliance/)[Estate Agents](/insights/industry/estate-agents/)[Lawyers](/insights/industry/lawyers/) # How to get fee earners to own compliance in your law firm Published October 8, 2026 ![Fee earner blog](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fa.storyblok.com%2Ff%2F171201%2F4000x2233%2F63ee0d6347%2Ffee-earner-blog.jpg&w=3840&q=75) Most compliance teams will recognise the moment. A client asks why their matter has stalled, and the fee earner says "it's with compliance" or that they're still waiting to hear back from the MLRO. It's an easy line when a conversation gets awkward, but it quietly positions compliance as the obstacle between the client and their deal. It was one of the questions our audience sent in ahead of our recent webinar, '[Confessions of a compliance team: the workarounds we don't talk about](https://www.thirdfort.com/webinars/confessions-of-a-compliance-team-the-workarounds-we-don-t-talk-about)'. Compliance leaders from Girlings Solicitors, Boodle Hatfield, Berwins and All Things Risk shared how they encourage fee earners to own compliance rather than hand it off. ### **Why "it's with compliance" is a problem** Telling a client their matter is "with compliance" can quietly undermine the fee earner. It suggests they aren't really in control of the matter, and that someone else in the building is holding things up. "If I was a fee earner, I wouldn't want to say that anything is with anyone else. You're representing the firm too." Catherine Prosser-Carr, Associate Director of Risk and Compliance and MLRO at Berwins It also reinforces a common workaround, where compliance becomes the place difficult decisions get sent. Over time, fee earners lose confidence in their own judgement, and compliance ends up carrying risk decisions that are better made with the person who knows the client. It's a familiar picture. In a live poll during the webinar, a quarter of attendees (25%) said the never-ending stream of questions landing on compliance was the workaround they recognise most. ### **Fee earners know things compliance doesn't** One of the most effective ways to shift this is to show fee earners how much knowledge they bring to the table. Compliance can run checks, review documents and search online, but it's usually a step removed from the client. The fee earner is the one who has actually spoken to them, understands the transaction and knows what looks normal in their area of law. "We need the value they can bring about the transaction, their expertise in their field, what looks normal and what doesn't, and the client profile. We're quite far removed from that." Emma Barnard, Risk and Compliance Director at Boodle Hatfield When a query comes in, try turning it into a conversation rather than just sending back an answer. Share the background and the risks you can see, then ask the fee earner what they think. It draws out what they already know and makes them part of the decision, and over time it builds their confidence to ask the right questions themselves. **It's worth remembering that the fee earners who ask for a second opinion are usually the ones who care most about getting it right.** The aim isn't to stop them asking, but to make sure they leave a little more confident each time. ### **Give people the words to use with clients** A lot of "it's with compliance" comes from fee earners not knowing what to say. Some parts of the process, like asking residential clients detailed questions about their source of funds, can feel intrusive. When people aren't sure how much to explain, it's easiest to point the blame at someone else, or say the law requires it. Compliance can help by giving fee earners the language itself, such as a few simple, approved ways to explain why information is needed and what happens next. That way they stay in charge of the conversation without oversharing or blaming another team. For trickier situations, role-playing a difficult client in training is often more useful than another policy reminder, because people get to practice what they'll say when a client pushes back. In exceptional cases, compliance might join a client meeting with a junior fee earner, but that's best kept as a confidence builder rather than becoming another workaround. ### **Make compliance something people know, not a name they pass things to** Ownership is also easier when compliance feels approachable, and what that looks like depends on the size of your firm. If you have a team, a shared inbox or phone line means queries go to the team rather than one named person. Involving junior members in inductions and training, paired with someone more senior, means fee earners get to know several friendly faces. Plenty of compliance leaders don't have that luxury, and in smaller firms compliance is often one person, sometimes alongside another role. There, the aim is to be visible and approachable, so people come to you early and leave each conversation a little more able to handle the next one. Whatever the size of the firm, once compliance is seen as part of the team, it stops being the thing fee earners blame for a delay. ### **From gatekeeper to partner** Getting fee earners to own compliance comes down to recognising what they already know, giving them the confidence and words to handle client conversations and making compliance a partner rather than a department they hand things to. When that happens, clients hear one consistent voice from the firm, and compliance can focus on the decisions that really need it. ## Sound familiar? If everything seems to end up on compliance's desk at your firm, you're not the only one. Our short film 'Everything Comes To Me', part of our No More Workarounds campaign, takes a lighter look at what that feels like day to day. [Watch the No More Workarounds Films](https://www.thirdfort.com/no-more-workarounds/) ## FAQs ### Why do fee earners say a matter is "with compliance"? --- Often they aren't sure how to explain parts of the process, like detailed source of funds questions, so pointing to compliance feels easier. Over time it becomes a habit, and compliance turns into the place difficult decisions get sent. ### How can compliance teams get fee earners to own AML compliance? --- Recognise what fee earners already know, give them the confidence and words to handle client conversations and make compliance approachable. When a query comes in, share the risks you can see and ask the fee earner what they think before giving an answer. ### What do fee earners know that compliance doesn't? --- Fee earners have spoken to the client, understand the transaction and know what looks normal in their area of law. Compliance can run checks and review documents, but it's usually a step removed from the client. ### How should fee earners explain source of funds checks to clients? --- Compliance can give fee earners a few simple, approved ways to explain why the information is needed and what happens next. That keeps the fee earner in charge of the conversation without oversharing or blaming another team. ### How can a one-person compliance function encourage ownership? --- In smaller firms, compliance is often one person, sometimes alongside another role. Being visible and approachable means people come to you early, and helping them a little each time means they're better able to handle the next query themselves. ### Should fee earners stop asking compliance questions? --- No. The fee earners who ask for a second opinion are usually the ones who care most about getting it right. The aim is to make sure they leave each conversation a little more confident. ## Subscribe to our newsletter Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for recaps and recordings of our webinars, invitations for upcoming events and curated industry news. We’ll also send our guide to Digital ID Verification as a welcome gift. 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