New research finds nearly two thirds of compliance leaders in conveyancers and legal firms expect budgets to increase amid growing pressures.
A study conducted by Thirdfort, of 200 compliance leaders found 61% of respondents are planning for their firm’s anti-money laundering (AML) budget to increase in the next year. Just 6% expect a cut, down from 31% in 2025.
Commenting on the findings Olly Thornton-Berry, co-founder and CEO of Thirdfort, said: “Compliance teams in conveyancers and legal firms face growing pressure, with a clear trend toward stricter regulation and higher compliance standards.
“As a result, senior compliance professionals expect to expand both their budgets and teams.
Over half (51%) of respondents said they expected the size of their compliance team to increase, compared with 26% last year.
Thirdfort said 85% of respondents identified demands on the compliance function in their firm have increased in the past 12 months. Nearly two thirds (63%) said that they have worked overtime at least once per week to handle AML-related issues, up from 42% in 2025.
Just over half (52%) believe their current processes are extremely or very effective in ensuring compliance. Larger firms are less confident with 46% of respondents at firms with more than 150 employees saying their processes are effective compared with 59% at firms with 25 people or fewer.
The survey found more than four fifths (81%) of the senior compliance professionals surveyed described fragmented systems as a live challenge they face today.
“Investment can bolster the expertise needed for complex decision-making and address the fragmented systems that create administrative burdens and potentially hide risks” said Thornton-Berry, adding: “This is crucial for embedding client due diligence processes and, ultimately, putting compliance professionals in control.”
