The steps
- You book a short call. It is not charged and there is no obligation. It can be by phone, Teams or Zoom, whichever suits you.
- On the call we learn what you do and how you market it. We also ask whether you already have a law firm or regulatory consultant, and what has prompted the question.
- We tell you whether your question needs a written opinion and who should provide it. Sometimes the honest answer is that it does not, or that your existing advisers are the right people to ask.
- If it does, we introduce you to a solicitor. Their first scoping call is not charged and carries no obligation.
- If you decide to go ahead, the solicitor quotes before any work starts. You instruct them and pay them directly.
- If it turns out you are inside the perimeter, we can introduce you to specialists in direct authorisation, appointed representative arrangements or section 21 approval of promotions.
Book a call or phone 020 7566 0044.
What we ask on the call
The call is about understanding your business well enough to point you in the right direction. We usually ask about:
- what you do, who your customers are and how money moves through the business
- how you market what you do, including your website, adverts, social media and any investor materials
- whether you already work with a law firm or a regulatory consultant
- what has prompted the question, such as a bank, a payment provider, an investor, an advertising platform, a new product or contact from the FCA
You do not need to prepare documents for the call. If you go on to speak to a solicitor, they will tell you what they need.
If the FCA has already been in touch with you, tell us at the start. In that situation you should speak to a solicitor before you reply, and we will focus on getting you to the right one.
What we do and what we do not do
We help you work out which questions apply to your business and who is best placed to answer them. We explain the rules and the factors that usually decide the answer, but we do not apply them to your facts and give you a conclusion. That is the solicitor’s job.
Our perimeter calls and introductions are not FCA regulated services and we do not give legal advice ourselves. We never tell you that your business is outside the perimeter. If you need that confirmed, a solicitor’s written opinion is what does it. Our regulatory status
Two tests, one call
Most businesses come to us with one question. Often there are two: whether what you do needs FCA authorisation, and whether how you market it is a financial promotion. We cover both on the call, because passing one test does not clear the other. The operations test, the marketing test and why they are separate.
How we are paid
We do not charge you for the call or for the introduction. The firms we introduce you to pay us an introduction fee. That includes the solicitors we work with and the authorisation, appointed representative and section 21 specialists.
The solicitor will also tell you about any referral fee arrangement with us. You decide whether to accept their quote, and you are under no obligation to use anyone we introduce you to.
We think you should know how we are paid so that you can weigh what we tell you. We aim to introduce you to the right firm for your question, and sometimes that means telling you that you do not need an introduction at all.
Confidentiality
Everything you tell us about your business is 100% confidential. We share it with the solicitors and specialists we work with so they can help with your question, and it will not be shared with unrelated third parties. Our privacy notice explains how we handle personal data.
Your relationship with the solicitor is between you and them. What you discuss with them is covered by their own professional duties of confidentiality.
Common misunderstandings
Non-Regulated will tell me whether I am regulated
We explain the rules and tell you who can answer the question. A conclusion on your position comes from a solicitor, usually in a written opinion.
Everyone who calls ends up needing an opinion
Not everyone does. Some questions are already answered by an existing adviser, and some businesses do not have a perimeter question at all.
I have to use the solicitor you introduce
You do not. The scoping call carries no obligation, and you can take your question to any adviser you choose.
The solicitor starts work straight away
No work starts until the solicitor has quoted and you have agreed to go ahead. You pay them directly.
When a written opinion helps
A written opinion is usually worth considering when someone else needs to rely on your position, such as a bank, a payment provider, an investor or an advertising platform, or when your business depends on an exclusion or exemption. It applies the rules to your actual model and documents. How written opinions work