Guides
Plain answers to the questions people ask before they instruct a solicitor. What things cost, how long they take, which jurisdiction you are in, and the cases where you do not need a solicitor at all. Every figure carries the government or regulator page it came from.
Choosing and using a solicitor
Finding one, checking the register, what it costs, and what to do when it goes wrong.
- Start hereHow to find a good solicitorEvery solicitor in England and Wales appears on the Solicitors Regulation Authority register, which shows whether they hold a current practising certificate and whether any... 6 min
- Am I eligible for legal aid?Legal aid is means tested on income and on capital, and the usual income threshold is a joint monthly income of £2,657 or less before tax and deductions. 5 min
- Can a solicitor refuse to act for you?There is no obligation on a solicitor to accept instructions, and firms turn work away every day for capacity, funding and risk reasons that have nothing to do with you. 4 min
- How much do solicitors charge per hour in the UK?The guideline hourly rates in effect from 1 January 2026 run from £142 an hour for a trainee or paralegal outside London to £579 for a senior solicitor doing heavy commerci... 5 min
- How to change solicitors mid caseYou can instruct a new solicitor whenever you like, and the old firm cannot refuse to release the file, though it can hold the papers until its bill is paid. 4 min
- How to complain about a solicitorComplain to the firm first. It has eight weeks to give you a final response before anyone else will look at it. 5 min
- No win no fee explainedA conditional fee agreement means the solicitor is paid only if the claim succeeds, and takes a success fee on top of their normal charges when it does. 5 min
- Questions to ask a solicitorAsk who will do the work day to day and what grade they are, because the grade drives the bill more than the headline rate does. 5 min
- Solicitor vs barristerThe split is not paperwork against court. 9 min
- What is a client care letter?The client care letter, usually sent with the firm's terms of business, is the contract between you and the firm. 5 min
Documents and signatures
Certifying, witnessing and swearing the paperwork other people ask you for.
- Start hereCan a solicitor certify documents?A solicitor can certify a copy as a true copy of the original, and so can a notary, a bank or building society official, a councillor, a minister of religion, a dentist, a... 5 min
- How much does it cost to certify a document in the UK?No law sets a solicitor's fee for certifying a copy. gov.uk states only that the person certifying may charge, and names no amount and no scale. 8 min
- Notary public vs solicitor in the UKNotarial activities are one of the six reserved legal activities under the Legal Services Act 2007, and the Master of the Faculties is the only approved regulator listed fo... 8 min
- What is a statutory declaration?The Statutory Declarations Act 1835 extends to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and section 20 requires the wording set out in the schedule to the Act. 9 min
- Who can witness a signature in the UK?Witnessing is not on the list of 6 reserved legal activities in section 12 of the Legal Services Act 2007, so no qualification is needed and a solicitor is not required. 8 min
Buying and selling a home
Conveyancing from instruction to completion, with the fees and the timings.
- Start hereSolicitor vs conveyancerA licensed conveyancer is a property law specialist regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, which describes itself as the specialist property law regulator and... 5 min
- How long does conveyancing take?A straightforward freehold purchase with a mortgage typically runs twelve to sixteen weeks from offer accepted to completion, and leasehold adds four to eight weeks for the... 5 min
- How much does a conveyancing solicitor cost?The legal fee for a straightforward freehold purchase usually runs between £800 and £1,800 plus VAT, with leasehold adding £200 to £400 for the extra work. 4 min
- How to transfer equity in a propertyHM Land Registry charges a Scale 2 fee of £45 to £305 by post for a transfer that is not for money, set by the value band the transfer falls into. 9 min
- What happens on exchange of contractsExchange is the point the sale becomes legally binding, and under section 2 of the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989 it takes two written parts of the sam... 9 min
- What is a declaration of trust on a propertyA declaration of trust records the beneficial shares in a property, and section 53(1)(b) of the Law of Property Act 1925 requires it to be evidenced in writing and signed. 8 min
- What searches do solicitors do when buying a house?The three searches ordered early in England and Wales are the local authority search, a drainage and water search and an environmental search, with a coal mining report add... 9 min
Family
Divorce, money, children and the agreements around them.
- Start hereDo you need a solicitor for a divorce?The divorce application costs £628 in England and Wales and can be made online, alone or jointly, without giving a reason and without blaming anyone. 5 min
- Are prenups legally binding in the UK?A prenup is not automatically binding in England and Wales. 9 min
- Common law marriage rights in the UKThere is no legal status called common law marriage in England and Wales, and no length of living together creates one. 9 min
- How is a house split in a divorce in the UK?Where there are no children and both partners have similar income and mortgage borrowing ability, a 50/50 division of the net proceeds of sale is likely to be appropriate. 8 min
- How long does a divorce take in the UK?The statutory minimum in England and Wales is 26 weeks, being 20 weeks from the start of proceedings before the application can be confirmed and 6 weeks from the conditiona... 8 min
- How much does a divorce cost in the UK?The court fee to apply for a divorce, nullity or civil partnership dissolution in England and Wales is £628, and it is not refunded once the court has sent notice that the... 8 min
- What is a child arrangements order?A child arrangements order regulates with whom a child is to live, spend time or otherwise have contact, and when, under section 8 of the Children Act 1989. 9 min
- What is a consent order in a divorce?A consent order is made under section 33A of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 and turns an agreed settlement into an order a court can enforce. 9 min
Wills and probate
Making a will, administering an estate, and powers of attorney.
- Start hereDo I need a solicitor to make a willNo solicitor is required for a valid will. 9 min
- How long does probate take in the UK?Probate grants issued in England and Wales in January to March 2026 took a mean of 5.0 weeks from application submission to grant issue, and a median of 1.3 weeks. 9 min
- How much does probate cost in the UK?The probate application fee in England and Wales is £526 where the estate is assessed above £5,000, and there is no fee at or below £5,000. 8 min
- How to contest a willChallenging a will's validity and claiming reasonable financial provision are separate applications. 9 min
- What does an executor do?An executor's authority comes from the grant of probate, which costs £526 in England and Wales where the estate is above £5,000 and nothing at or below it. 8 min
- What happens if you die without a will in the UK?In England and Wales a surviving husband, wife or civil partner takes the personal belongings, the first £322,000 and half of anything above that, with the other half going... 9 min
- What is a lasting power of attorneyA lasting power of attorney names someone to decide on your health and care or your money, and it keeps working after you lose the capacity to decide for yourself. 9 min
Work and disputes
Dismissal, settlement agreements and civil claims.
- Start hereWhat is a settlement agreementA settlement agreement binds only if it meets the six conditions in section 203 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, one of which is advice from an independent adviser who he... 9 min
- How to claim unfair dismissalThe deadline is three months less one day from the effective date of termination, which is normally the last day of the notice period rather than the day the news was deliv... 9 min
- What is a letter before actionWhere no approved protocol applies, the Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct expects a reply within 14 days in a straightforward case and no more than 3 months in a ver... 8 min
When you are ready
The ranked lists, city by city
Fifteen cities, every firm checked against its regulator's register and re-checked quarterly.