PCN Solicitors
A referral network for solicitors, with one firm in each postcode area
The Professional Connections Network (PCN) connects one solicitor in each UK postcode area with one accountant, estate agent, financial adviser and mortgage broker. They refer conveyancing, wills and company work. You refer clients who need advice, tax help, a mortgage or a sale.
Run by Independent Check Ltd, in business since 2012. Who we are
OpenTaken121 of 121 areas open for solicitors
Tap an area to check it. The boxes enlarge London and Manchester.
121 of 121 postcode areas are open for solicitors.
Which clients do solicitors send and receive?
These are the referrals that most often pass between a solicitor and the other four professions. Which ones you see depends on your clients and on who holds your area.
You refer
- Accountants
Estates that need a final tax return and estate accounts, and new companies that need an accountant.
- Estate agents
Executors selling a property as part of an estate.
- Financial advisers
Beneficiaries of an estate, and clients receiving money from a divorce settlement.
- Mortgage brokers
Conveyancing clients who still need a mortgage, and clients buying a home after a separation.
You receive
- Accountants
New companies that need articles and a shareholders' agreement, and business sales.
- Estate agents
Sellers and buyers who need a conveyancer.
- Financial advisers
Clients who need a will, lasting powers of attorney or help with probate.
- Mortgage brokers
Buyers and remortgage clients who need a conveyancer.
Why would a solicitor join PCN?
Conveyancing, wills and probate often start with someone else: an agent agreeing a sale, an adviser reviewing plans, an accountant setting up a company. PCN gives you one firm from each of the other four professions in your postcode area.
Their PCN referrals for legal work come to you, because no other law firm in PCN can hold your area. When the next step for your client isn't legal, you have a named local firm to refer them to.
Each referral starts as a summary with no client details, so you only take on matters you've accepted.
Who you’d work with
- Accountants→
Refer pension, legal and mortgage questions. Receive estates, landlords and new companies.
- Estate agents→
Refer buyers, sellers and landlords. Receive probate sales and downsizers.
- Financial advisers→
Refer wills, tax returns and house moves. Receive inheritances, sale proceeds and business sales.
- Mortgage brokers→
Refer conveyancing and planning. Receive buyers and self-employed applicants.
What a referral from a solicitor looks like
A referral starts as a short summary with no names or contact details. The other firm accepts or declines on that alone, so say what the client needs and by when.
To an estate agent
Executors with a three-bedroom house to sell. Probate has been granted and the house is empty, so they would like a valuation soon.
To an accountant
Estate that needs a final tax return for the person who died, and estate accounts for the beneficiaries. Administration began in March.
To a financial adviser
Beneficiary due to inherit about £200,000 in cash. They have asked the executors what to do with it before it is paid out.
Before you send, check the summary
- It says what the client needs and when they need it.
- It includes anything that saves the other firm a question, such as the type of income or the property involved.
- It leaves out names, emails, phone numbers, full postcodes and dates of birth. PCN holds the referral back until they’re removed.
- You’ve ticked to confirm the client agreed to be referred.
Examples only, written to show the format. They are not real clients.
Where do solicitors fit in a client’s referrals?
Four everyday client situations. Your profession is marked, and each arc is one referral between two firms in the same postcode area.
- 1Estate agent → mortgage broker
The buyer needs a mortgage agreed before the sale can go ahead.
- 2Estate agent → solicitor
Buyer and seller each need a solicitor for the conveyancing.
- 3Estate agent → accountant
The seller is a landlord. Capital gains tax on a residential sale has to be reported to HMRC within 60 days.
Examples only. Which referrals happen depends on the client, and on which firms hold your postcode area.
- 1Financial adviser → solicitor
Planning for retirement often starts with an up-to-date will and lasting powers of attorney.
- 2Financial adviser → accountant
Taking pension income changes the client’s tax position.
- 3Financial adviser → estate agent
The client decides to downsize and sell the family home.
- 4Estate agent → mortgage broker
The next home needs a later-life mortgage.
Examples only. Which referrals happen depends on the client, and on which firms hold your postcode area.
- 1Accountant → solicitor
A new company needs articles, a shareholders’ agreement and contracts.
- 2Accountant → financial adviser
Directors ask about pensions paid through the company, and cover if one of them falls ill.
- 3Accountant → mortgage broker
Self-employed income needs a broker who knows how lenders read company accounts.
Examples only. Which referrals happen depends on the client, and on which firms hold your postcode area.
- 1Solicitor → accountant
The estate needs a final tax return for the person who died.
- 2Solicitor → estate agent
The family home is valued and put up for sale.
- 3Solicitor → financial adviser
Beneficiaries want advice on what to do with what they inherit.
- 4Financial adviser → mortgage broker
One beneficiary uses an inheritance as a deposit and needs a mortgage.
Examples only. Which referrals happen depends on the client, and on which firms hold your postcode area.
Referral fees and the SRA Code
PCN doesn't pay or charge anything per referral. If you agree a fee with another firm, the SRA Code of Conduct (paragraphs 5.1 to 5.3) requires you to tell clients about it. Referral fees in personal injury cases are banned by law. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, your own law society's rules apply.
This is a summary, not legal advice. Check your regulator’s current rules before you agree any fee with another firm.
Questions solicitors ask
Anything else, call the Independent Check team on 0800 246 1094.
All questions→Does PCN act for the client?+
No. PCN passes a summary between firms. It doesn't give legal or financial advice or take instructions, and nobody at PCN reads referrals.
What happens if I decline a referral?+
It goes back to the sender with no client details shared, and they can refer the client elsewhere.
Who can see a referral?+
The firm that sent it and the firm that holds the area. The client's name and contact details are added only after the receiving firm accepts.
Hold your postcode area for solicitors
Membership is free. PCN charges nothing to join and takes nothing from referrals.
- 1Check your area
See whether it’s open for solicitors.
- 2Create your profile
Your firm’s details. It takes about five minutes, and the area is held for 48 hours while you do it.
- 3Send and receive referrals
Start as soon as other professions in your area join. Until then, no other solicitor can take your area.