ID check · For law firms
Every new client taken on quickly and carefully
Last updated: 21 October 2026
Every new client relationship starts with intake. For a Dutch law firm that is more than taking down a name and a question. You need to know who your client is, check for conflicts and, for a growing share of cases, complete a full client due diligence under the Wwft before you start work. This article shows how intake runs in Unomia: the CRM as the backbone, the ID check with Veriff, and Casey, our AI coworker, doing the legwork while the lawyer keeps the decisions.
Key points
- For certain services, such as real estate transactions and setting up companies, the Wwft requires Dutch lawyers to complete client due diligence before providing the service.
- In Unomia, every request arrives in the CRM as a lead, from a website form, email, phone or WhatsApp.
- The ID check (identity verification) is done remotely with Veriff: the client photographs their ID document and records a selfie video, and the result appears on the lead.
- Casey, Unomia's AI coworker, does the legwork and lists contacts with potential Wwft risks in the morning briefing. The lawyer performs the Wwft check and decides.
- Every step is recorded, so the firm can show the deken how it meets the Wwft during an audit.
Good to know: in Unomia, Veriff handles the ID check. Clients do it themselves on their phone, wherever they are. The Wwft only applies to lawyers for certain services. This article describes how software supports the process and is not legal advice: your firm's Wwft policy and the guidance of the Netherlands Bar (NOvA) remain the standard.
What does the Wwft require of a law firm?
The Wwft (Wet ter voorkoming van witwassen en financieren van terrorisme) applies to lawyers only for specific services listed in article 1a. Think of assisting with the purchase or sale of real estate, setting up or managing companies and foundations, managing client money or assets, and buying or selling businesses. Litigation and determining a client's legal position fall largely outside it. Many firms do both kinds of work, so the first intake question is often: is this a Wwft case?
Client due diligence (cliëntenonderzoek, also called KYC or know your customer) is the check of who the client is and what the client intends to do. For a Wwft service, the firm must complete it before providing the service:
- Identify and verify the client on the basis of reliable, independent documents.
- Identify the ultimate beneficial owners (UBOs) of a company client and take reasonable steps to verify them. Since 1 August 2024, lawyers ask the client for a certified UBO extract, which the client requests from the KvK.
- Establish the purpose and nature of the engagement.
- Take extra measures where the risk calls for it, such as checking for politically exposed persons or the source of funds.
- Monitor the relationship while it lasts.
If the due diligence cannot be completed, the firm may not provide the service. Unusual transactions must be reported to FIU-Nederland without delay, and since 1 July 2026 the FIU can ask for a transaction to be suspended. The local deken supervises compliance, and the records must be kept for five years after the relationship ends. The Wwft is set to be replaced by the EU Anti-Money Laundering Regulation on 10 July 2027, so a documented, repeatable intake process is worth building now.
How does client intake work in Unomia? Seven steps
01
A request comes in
Through a website form, by email, by phone or on WhatsApp, also outside office hours. Casey asks the intake questions for that practice area and creates a lead in the CRM with a short summary.
02
Triage and Wwft check
Casey proposes the practice area and the team. The lawyer confirms or corrects, and performs the Wwft check for every new contact.
03
Remote ID check with Veriff
From the lead, the lawyer sends the client a secure link. The client photographs their passport, ID card or driving licence and takes a short selfie video. Veriff checks that the document is genuine and that the person matches it, and the result appears on the lead.
04
Company clients and UBOs
The KvK number is stored on the contact. With one document request, the client uploads the UBO extract, articles of association and anything else the file needs.
05
Risk assessment and acceptance
Casey assembles the checklist: what is in, what is missing, and what stands out. The lawyer assesses the risk, decides on acceptance and records the reasoning on the lead.
06
Engagement letter
The engagement letter goes out for e-signature from Unomia. Once signed, the lead becomes a case, with all intake data carried over.
07
The record
Every step is logged with date, time and person: who checked the ID, who accepted the client and on what grounds. That is the file the deken asks for during an audit.
Casey's daily briefing: every morning, Casey lists the contacts with potential Wwft risks, for example a new contact whose case may involve a Wwft service. The lawyer reviews each one and decides what happens next, so no risk slips through between intake and the first invoice.
Which CRM features make intake faster?
The Unomia CRM is built for the way a law firm takes on new clients. Each feature comes with the time it saves.
Leads from your existing website forms
You don't need a new website to start. Submissions from the contact forms on your current site flow straight into the CRM as leads, so nobody retypes a web enquiry.
Intake straight from Outlook or Gmail
Most new cases still arrive by email. With the mail plugin you turn an email into a lead in one click, without copying and pasting.
A pipeline per practice area
Switch between team pipelines, for example Family Law, Employment Law and Real Estate, from one place. A new lead goes to the right team automatically, so nobody spends time forwarding requests.
Fair lead distribution
Each lawyer can be always in rotation, in rotation up to a limit, or out of rotation. New requests are shared out automatically, which suits part-timers, a lawyer on leave, or a partner who only takes on certain cases.
Several identifiers per contact
Store a KvK number alongside other registration numbers, so the details you need to verify a company client and its UBOs are in one place.
Business card scanning
A card from a networking event becomes a lead with email and phone number filled in, instead of a stack of cards to type up.
Smarter signing
Unomia sends signature requests automatically with signers assigned by role, and signed fields update the file. No printing, scanning or chasing a signed engagement letter. Where eligible, signers can use a qualified electronic signature via itsme.
One request, several documents
Ask the client for an ID, a UBO extract and a power of attorney in a single request, and let AI give uploaded files a clear name. One request replaces a string of emails.
How do phone calls end up in the CRM?
Many clients still pick up the phone first. With the Unomia Phone app and Axivox as the telephony provider, calls become part of the intake instead of a note on a yellow sticky:
- See who is calling. When a known number calls, Unomia shows the contact and their open leads and cases before you answer.
- Turn a call into a lead. A new caller becomes a lead during the call, with the number already filled in.
- Calls are logged automatically on the lead or case, with date, time and duration.
- Click to call from the lead, without dialling.
- Callbacks as activities, so no callback is forgotten.
- Transfer a caller to the colleague who handles the practice area.
- Keep your numbers. Axivox ports your existing numbers, and internal calls are free.
Read more in The Phone app for law firms: every client call on the right file.
What changes with Unomia?
| Without Unomia | With Unomia |
|---|---|
| Requests arrive in separate mailboxes, phones and forms | Every request is a lead in one CRM |
| Someone shares out requests by hand | Pipelines per practice area and automatic distribution |
| The client comes in with a passport, or emails a copy | Remote ID check with Veriff, result on the lead |
| Collecting documents takes a string of emails | One request for all documents |
| The engagement letter is printed, signed and scanned | Signed electronically, and the lead becomes a case |
| The Wwft file is pieced together afterwards | The record builds itself as you work |
| Risks are scattered across every file | Casey lists them in one place every morning |
What does Casey do at intake, and what does the lawyer decide?
Casey takes over the repetitive part of intake so that the lawyer can spend their time on the assessment. Casey gets exactly as much autonomy as the risk of an action allows.
| Casey does | The lawyer decides |
|---|---|
| Answers new requests 24/7 and asks the right intake questions per practice area | Whether the firm takes on the case |
| Summarises the request and proposes practice area, team and lawyer | Who handles the case |
| Flags contacts with potential Wwft risks in the daily briefing | The Wwft check for every new contact, and whether the Wwft applies |
| Tracks missing documents and drafts reminders | The risk assessment and client acceptance |
| Checks that the intake file is complete before it becomes a case | Whether a transaction is unusual and must be reported to FIU-Nederland |
The lawyer decides: Casey never accepts a client, never judges whether a transaction is unusual and never files a report. Casey works within the user's access rights and the context of the case, and every action, draft and approval is recorded in the audit trail.
Where do lawyers save time at intake?
Intake is not billable, but it eats into the day. Here is where Unomia gives that time back:
- No retyping. Website forms, email, phone, WhatsApp and business cards all arrive in the CRM as leads, with the details filled in.
- No sorting. Pipelines per practice area and automatic distribution put each request on the right desk.
- No first round of questions. Casey asks the intake questions, also in the evening and at the weekend, and summarises the answers.
- No passport copies. Veriff checks the ID in minutes and puts the result on the lead.
- No chasing documents. One request for all documents, with Casey tracking what is missing.
- No paper engagement letters. E-signature, and the signed lead becomes a case without retyping.
- No searching for call notes. Every call is already on the lead.
- No separate Wwft file. The record builds itself as you work.
At FAAZ advocatenkantoor, the first firm on Unomia, lawyers now record 20% more billable hours per month. In the words of Sabien Kneepkens: "We can do more in less time."
How is privacy protected during the ID check?
Each firm has its own database, hosted in the EU. Veriff processes the ID document and selfie and returns the result; the biometric data is not stored in Unomia. Access to intake and identity data follows the roles you set, and the audit log shows who saw and changed what. More on our security page.
See the CRM and the ID check in action
The new CRM features
The CRM part starts at 1:18. Source: Odoo.com.
How the ID check works for your client
The steps your client goes through: photographing the ID document and recording a selfie video. Source: Veriff.
Frequently asked questions about the Wwft and ID checks
Does the Wwft apply to my firm?
Only for the services in article 1a Wwft, such as assisting with real estate transactions, setting up companies or managing client assets. If in doubt, ask your deken.
What is KYC at a law firm?
KYC (know your customer) is the client due diligence the Wwft requires: identifying the client and any ultimate beneficial owners (UBOs), verifying their identity, establishing the purpose of the engagement and assessing the risk. In Unomia the ID check, the documents and the lawyer's assessment are kept on the lead and later on the case, and Casey flags possible Wwft risks in the daily briefing.
Does the client have to come to the office for the ID check?
No. The client does the check on their own phone, through the link the lawyer sends. It takes a few minutes.
Can I identify a client remotely?
The Wwft requires verification based on reliable and independent sources. Identifying a client who is not physically present counts as a risk factor that you weigh in your risk assessment. Veriff checks that the document is genuine and compares the face with the photo on the document. Your Wwft policy determines whether extra measures are needed.
Does Unomia store copies of passports?
Veriff processes the document and the selfie. Unomia keeps the result on the lead; the biometric data stays with Veriff.
What does an ID check cost?
You pay Veriff's price per check, with no mark-up. See our pricing.
Can I keep my current website?
Yes. Requests from the forms on your existing website arrive in the CRM as leads.
Does Casey decide whether to accept a client?
No. Casey prepares and flags. The lawyer decides on the Wwft check, the risk and acceptance.
Make intake part of your practice
We set up intake for you: your website forms and mailbox connected to the CRM, pipelines per practice area, the ID check with Veriff, document requests, e-signature and the phone with Axivox. In a free demo we show you how Casey, the ID check and the CRM handle a real intake at your firm, including a Wwft case.
Source: Netherlands Bar (NOvA) – Wwft