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COLP & COFA6 min read

What does a COLP need to evidence?

The COLP — Compliance Officer for Legal Practice — carries personal accountability for the firm's compliance with its SRA obligations. Increasingly, that means being able to evidence that compliance is actively managed, not just documented.

Reglo supports COLPs with the evidence and workflows behind this — it does not replace the role. Here's what a COLP should be able to show.

Which policies are current

A COLP should be able to show, at any time, which version of each policy is approved and live — and that superseded drafts have been retired. Clarity about the current position is the foundation of everything else.

What changed, and why

When a policy is updated, the COLP should be able to evidence what changed, the regulatory or business reason for it, and the impact that was assessed. This shows the firm responds to change deliberately.

Who approved it, and when

Each change should carry a timestamped approval record. The COLP's accountability is best evidenced by a clear decision trail rather than informal sign-off.

Who was notified and who acknowledged it

The COLP should be able to show that the right staff were notified of changes and acknowledged them — and who is outstanding. Acknowledgement, ideally with comprehension evidence, links policy to practice.

Activity across the firm

Beyond individual policies, the COLP should be able to evidence ongoing compliance activity — regulatory updates assessed, reviews completed, and attestations tracked — exportable for management and the SRA.

Reglo helps firms keep this evidence organised and audit-ready — humans approve every change. AI drafts and organises; your compliance team decides.

This guide is general information for compliance teams, not legal or regulatory advice. Always refer to the SRA's current guidance and take your own professional advice where needed.

Common questions

Does software replace the COLP?

No. Tools like Reglo support the COLP by keeping the evidence and workflows organised. Accountability and decisions remain with the COLP.

See how Reglo keeps this evidence ready

Book a demo and we'll show you how Reglo keeps your policies, training, attestations, and audit-ready evidence aligned for SRA reviews — with humans approving every change.

30-min callNo commitment