Clayton Mott was fined following prolonged non-compliant AML controls
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has fined Clayton Mott £7,464 following an investigation into the firm’s compliance with anti-money laundering legislation.
Clayton Mott, a recognised body based at Grafton House, 67 Loughborough Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 7LA, entered into a regulatory settlement agreement with the SRA on 12 February 2026. The outcome was published on 17 February 2026. In addition to the financial penalty, the firm agreed to pay investigation costs of £600 and to the publication of the agreement.
The investigation arose from a desk-based review conducted by the SRA’s AML Proactive Supervision team. The regulator identified concerns regarding the firm’s compliance with the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds Regulations 2017, as well as the SRA Principles and the Code of Conduct for Firms.
The SRA found that between 26 June 2017 and 1 July 2025, the firm failed to maintain compliant policies, controls and procedures to mitigate and manage the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing. The firm also failed to regularly review and update those procedures as required by Regulation 19 of the 2017 Regulations.
Around 90 per cent of Clayton Mott’s work falls within the scope of the 2017 Regulations, with a substantial proportion in conveyancing. Conveyancing has been identified as a high-risk area in national and sector risk assessments, alongside probate and estate administration.
Although the firm had AML documentation in place from 2018, the SRA concluded that those policies were non-compliant because they omitted key mandatory information. Updated firm-wide risk assessments and policies were provided in July 2025 and were deemed compliant.
The firm admitted breaches of the SRA Principles 2011 for conduct before November 2019 and breaches of the SRA Principles 2019 and the Code of Conduct for Firms thereafter. The SRA assessed the nature of the misconduct as more serious and noted that the failures continued for more than eight years. However, it assessed the impact as low, as there was no evidence of actual harm or financial gain.
In determining the fine, the SRA applied its published guidance on financial penalties. It calculated a basic penalty of £8,294, which was reduced to £7,464 to reflect mitigation, including the firm’s cooperation and steps taken to rectify the deficiencies.
The SRA stated that publication of the agreement is in the public interest and serves as a deterrent to firms that fail to comply with anti-money laundering obligations.