Collapsed law firm at centre of £39.5m fraud probe - BBC

The SRA said the intervention into PM Law had been one of the largest and most complex it had ever undertaken, involving 25,000 emails and letters and 17,000 inquiries.

Paul Hastings, the SRA's director of client protection, said: "We are continuing to do all we can to support former clients of PM Law, including by reuniting them with their money or files.

"Many of the former clients faced significant upheaval at a stressful time, so we have been determined to provide as much support as possible."

According to the regulator, as of 17 April, 92 claims totalling £9.31m had been paid to former clients from the SRA Compensation Fund.

A further £6.8m had been paid out from money held within the firm at the time the SRA intervened, meanwhile 9,300 files had been returned to clients, the regulator said.

Clients of PM Law who previously spoke to the BBC said they had been in the middle of buying or selling a home, were facing the risk of collapsed moves, or losing their deposits due to the firm's sudden closure.

Staff were also left devastated, discovering they had lost their jobs via a notice posted in the windows of the company's premises.

Further details on how clients are being supported are available on the SRA's website, external.

South Yorkshire Police previously said it had received a referral from Report Fraud, a nationwide service run by City of London Police, "regarding reports received in relation to Sheffield-based law firm PM Law".

Those reports were being reviewed by the force's economic crime unit "to determine next steps and the most appropriate agency to take this forward", a spokesperson said at the time.