Firms are putting themselves at risk by failing to carry out basic identity checks on their staff before employing them, the chairman of the Law Society’s conveyancing and land law committee has warned.

Richard Barnett said he had been made aware that many firms were not carrying out appropriate checks.

He said: ‘Doing basic things like criminal records bureau (CRB) checks and taking a photograph of employees should be common practice. It is good practice to make sure you know who you’re employing.’

But he said a lot of firms were unaware of the need to do this and were leaving themselves exposed to potential problems. ‘By not doing these checks, firms should not be surprised if those employees whom they haven’t checked turn out to be rogues or fraudsters,’ said Barnett. ‘It is like complaining that you have been burgled when you left the windows open.’

A spokeswoman for the Solicitors Regulation Authority said there was no specific requirement for pre-employment checks under the Code of Conduct. ‘However, we would expect firms to conform to best practice and have proper systems in place to avoid potential legal and regulatory action.’