Alerts

Warning: Emails misusing the name of Slaughter and May

29 December 2022

Emails have been sent to members of the public claiming to be from Slaughter and May in relation to an overdue invoice.

What is the scam?

The SRA has been advised that emails have been sent to members of the public claiming to be from the "debt recovery & resolution team” of a genuine firm (see below). The SRA has been advised that the emails advise the recipients there is an overdue invoice and request help with a resolution.

The emails are said to come from the email addresses ending with the domain names ‘slaughtermayassociate.com’; ‘slaughtermayassociates.com’; ‘slaughterandmay-intl.com’; ‘slaughterandmay-international.com’; slaughterandmayfirm.co.uk; slaughtrandmay.com’; ‘slaughtenmayassociate.com’ and ‘slaughtrandmayassociate.com’.

Any business or transaction through the email addresses ending with the above domain names is not undertaken by a firm or individual authorised and regulated by the SRA.

Is there a genuine firm or person?

The SRA authorises and regulates a firm of solicitors called Slaughter and May. The firm’s email domain ends with @slaughterandmay.com.

The genuine firm of Slaughter and May has confirmed that it has no connection with the emails referred to in the above alert.

What should I do?

When a firm's or individual's identity has been copied exactly (or cloned), due diligence is necessary. If you receive correspondence claiming to be from the above firm(s) or individual(s), or information of a similar nature to that described, you should conduct your own due diligence by checking the authenticity of the correspondence by contacting the law firm directly by reliable and established means. You can contact the SRA to find out if individuals or firms are regulated and authorised by the SRA and verify an individual's or firm's practising details. Other verification methods, such as checking public records (eg. telephone directories and company records) may be required in other circumstances.

More information

13 January 2023

The SRA has been advised that further emails have also been sent from the following email domains claiming to be from the genuine firm of Slaughter and May:

'slaughtandmayassociates.com', 'slaughtandmayassociate.com', 'slaughtenmaylegal.com', 'slaughter-mayassociate.com', 'slaughtmaylegal.com', 'slaughtermayllp.com', 'slaughterllpmay.com', 'slaughtenmaylegal.com', 'sslslaughtermay.com' and 'slamaylegal.com'.

Any business or transaction through the email addresses ending with the above domain names is not undertaken by a firm or individual authorised and regulated by the SRA.

The genuine firm of Slaughter and May has confirmed that it has no connection to the above email domains.