For law firms & CSPs
UBO checks for law firms & corporate service providers
A firm that forms, administers, or advises on company structures is often itself an obliged entity for AML purposes - not just a service provider to one.
Where the obligation comes from
Law firms and corporate/trust service providers engaged in company formation or administration are commonly captured as obliged entities in their own right under AML frameworks, separately from whichever bank or fintech the underlying client later approaches. That means identifying beneficial ownership isn't just something a client's eventual bank will handle - it can be this firm's own direct obligation. See beneficial ownership compliance.
Structures built by professionals can still be genuinely complex
A structure a firm itself designed - layered holding companies, trusts, cross-border entities - still needs to be resolved back to natural persons for AML purposes, using the same process as any other structure. See ownership resolution and corporate ownership structures.
Related
See it work on a real company.