SRA warns of emails falsely using a genuine firm’s details and solicitors’ SRA numbers
Knighton Legal Services has been named in a Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) scam alert after emails were sent using the name and details of a genuine law firm and the SRA identification numbers of genuine solicitors.
The SRA issued the alert on 10 August 2026, warning that the emails falsely claim to come from the “Trademark Division” of Knighton Legal Services and concern a purported conflicting UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) trademark application. The correspondence refers to the Trade Marks Act 1994 and asks recipients to respond within 48 hours.
The email signatures use the trading name of a genuine firm, together with the names and SRA ID numbers of genuine solicitors. They falsely present those individuals as holding positions described as “Registered IP Solicitor”.
The signatures also use the genuine firm’s registered address, alongside a bogus “Knighton Legal Services” logo, the telephone number +441922905346 and the website knightonlegalservices.co.uk.
The SRA states that any business or transaction conducted through those email addresses, telephone number or website is not undertaken by an individual or firm authorised and regulated by the regulator.
The regulator has separately confirmed the details of the genuine firm and solicitors whose identities have been misused.
Knighton Legal Services Ltd, trading as Knighton Legal Services, is authorised and regulated by the SRA under SRA ID 8014126. Its genuine registered address is 229 Darlaston Road, Wednesbury, WS10 7TD, and its telephone number is 0330 043 5163. The SRA says the genuine firm does not have a website.
The alert also identifies genuine solicitors Bella Ramsay, Fiona Guest and Eva Marisa McDowall. Their SRA numbers are respectively 827924, 579248 and 343502. The SRA confirms that Ramsay and Guest are not employed by the genuine Knighton Legal Services firm. It also says it believes McDowall is not linked to the correspondence described in the alert.
The genuine firm and the three solicitors have confirmed that they have no connection with the correspondence, email addresses, website or telephone number identified in the alert.
For solicitors and firms, the key practice point is the SRA’s warning that identity cloning requires due diligence. Where a firm’s or individual’s identity has been copied exactly, the regulator advises recipients to verify the authenticity of correspondence by contacting the law firm directly through reliable and established means.
The SRA also says that individuals can contact the regulator to establish whether a solicitor or firm is authorised and regulated and to verify practising details. In some circumstances, it may also be necessary to use other verification methods, including public records such as telephone directories and company records.
The alert therefore highlights the need to verify unexpected legal correspondence independently rather than relying solely on names, SRA numbers, addresses or other professional details contained within the communication itself.