Silks adds Credas ID checks to UK law firm compliance

Silks has integrated Credas identity verification into its legal compliance platform, targeting mid-market law firms in the UK.

The integration lets firms using Silks run identity checks during client onboarding and feed the results directly into compliance records without leaving the platform. Firms can connect an existing Credas account or adopt both products together.

The arrangement brings identity verification into the same workflow as client intake, matter management and compliance tasks. It also allows firms to draft bespoke client care letters on the same day they receive an enquiry while completing onboarding steps in parallel.

The move comes as UK law firms face tighter scrutiny of digital identity verification in anti-money laundering controls. Guidance from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and HM Treasury clarified that providers certified against the UK Government's Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework meet the standard for compliant digital identity verification under the Money Laundering Regulations.

That position gained further weight after the Digital Use and Access Act 2025 put the trust framework on a statutory footing. The change has increased pressure on firms that rely on internal processes or providers without certification when they need to demonstrate regulatory assurance.

As a certified Identity Service Provider, Credas gives firms using the integration an approved route for digital ID checks. Founded in Cardiff, it verifies more than four million individuals a year and was the first Identity Service Provider to be certified to a very high level of confidence under the UK Government framework.

Silks focuses on mid-market law firms and says it keeps firm and client data within each customer's own UK-based tenant rather than sending information into third-party AI systems. That approach reflects growing concern in legal services over data handling, confidentiality and the use of generative AI in regulated work.

Compliance focus

For law firms, onboarding has become an area where speed and compliance often pull in different directions. Firms are under pressure to open matters quickly after an enquiry while also collecting identification evidence, checking source material and recording decisions in a way that can withstand regulatory review.

By connecting ID verification to an existing legal workflow platform, Silks and Credas aim to reduce switching between systems and manual record-keeping. In practice, identity checks can be triggered at key points in the onboarding journey and recorded automatically in the same environment used for compliance administration.

Mel Kang, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Silks, said the aim was to remove a common bottleneck for firms adopting AI tools in regulated settings. "Law firms shouldn't have to choose between adopting powerful AI and staying on top of their compliance obligations," Kang said.

"Our partnership with Credas means law firms can open and onboard clients on the same day they receive an enquiry, and identity verification is no longer a separate, manual step. It's woven into the workflow, exactly where it needs to be. And because everything stays within your own secure environment, firms can act with confidence," Kang said.

The partnership also reflects a broader shift in the legal technology market, where suppliers are increasingly linking specialist compliance tools with workflow and document systems rather than selling them as stand-alone products. For mid-market firms in particular, the appeal is often less about replacing compliance teams than about reducing duplicated administration and making audit trails easier to retrieve.

Market pressure

Legal practices have faced sustained pressure from the Solicitors Regulation Authority and anti-money laundering supervisors to improve controls around client due diligence. Digital identity checks have become more common, but the standards expected from providers have also become clearer.

That has made certification a more important part of procurement decisions. In this case, Credas' role as a certified Identity Service Provider gives Silks a way to offer regulated firms an embedded ID verification process without asking them to rely on uncertified tools.

Rhian Del-Valle, Director of Enterprise Partnerships at Credas, said: "Silks' AI-powered workflows can help law firms improve their compliance processes while still ensuring their clients' details and personal information are kept within a secure and private workspace."