Key facts
Solicitors: 58 checked facts and figures, with sources
Each entry is the fact one of our guides rests on: a rule, a date, a price or a figure we worked out, with where it came from. Quote any of them; a link to the guide lets your reader check the working.
Conveyancing, updates and chasing
Counting 60 calendar days from a completion date and the days left at 29 October 2026 gives 31 October 2026 (2 days left) for completion on 1 September 2026, 14 November 2026 (16 days) for 15 September, 30 November 2026 (32 days) for 1 October and 28 December 2026 (60 days) for completion today. A firm that sets a diary reminder 14 days after completion has 46 days in hand in each case (60 minus 14).
Source: GOV.UK, "Report and pay Capital Gains Tax" in the "Tax when you sell property" guide (https://www.gov.uk/tax-sell-property/report-and-pay-capital-gains-tax): "You must report and pay any Capital Gains Tax on most sales of UK property within 60 days." The page covers property that is not the seller's home, such as buy-to-let, business premises, land and inherited property, and says estate property is reported to HMRC with the estate. The page was fetched through a summarising tool, not read line by line. Read 29 October 2026.
At 8 per cent simple interest a year, a £5,000 judgment accrues £400 a year (£1.10 a day, £98.63 over 90 days), £10,000 accrues £800 (£2.19 a day, £197.26 over 90 days) and £25,000 accrues £2,000 (£5.48 a day, £493.15 over 90 days). A judgment of £4,999 accrues nothing, so £1 less than the threshold is worth £98.63 over 90 days compared with £5,000.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Judgments Act 1838 section 17 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/1-2/110/section/17): every judgment debt carries interest at 8 pounds per centum per annum; and the County Courts (Interest on Judgment Debts) Order 1991, SI 1991/1184, as made (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1991/1184/made): interest runs from the date of judgment on county court judgments of not less than £5,000, with exceptions. Both pages were fetched through a summarising tool, not read line by line. Read 28 October 2026.
Court fees alone come to £628 + £62 = £690 for an agreed divorce with a consent order (£345 each if split equally), against £628 + £321 = £949 if the financial order is contested (£474.50 each). The contested application fee is £259 higher than the consent one, 5.2 times as much (£321 / £62 = 5.18), before any of your own fees.
Source: GOV.UK, "Family court fees (EX50)" within "Fees in the civil and family courts: main fees (EX50)" (fees order 1.2 application for divorce, nullity or dissolution £628; fees order 5.1 application by consent for a financial order £62; fees order 5.4 application for a financial order, not by consent, £321; page showing last updated 13 July 2026; page points to help with fees and refunds). Read 19 October 2026.
A couple making both a property and financial affairs LPA and a health and welfare LPA each has four documents to register. At £92 each that is 4 x £92 = £368. If both donors have income under £12,000 and each pays half, it is 4 x £46 = £184. If one donor is exempt and the other pays half, it is 2 x £0 + 2 x £46 = £92. Our arithmetic from the published fees.
Source: GOV.UK "Make, register or end a lasting power of attorney" pages on registering and fees, and GOV.UK "Power of attorney fees: reductions and exemptions" (latest update shown 14 July 2026), all read on 2026-10-06. The couple is an invented example and the totals are our arithmetic.
On a £450,000 purchase, standard SDLT is 0 + (£125,000 x 2%) + (£200,000 x 5%) = £2,500 + £10,000 = £12,500, and with first-time buyer relief it is £150,000 x 5% = £7,500, a saving of £5,000. At £500,000 a first-time buyer pays £10,000; at £500,001 relief is lost and the bill is £15,000, so £1 of price costs £5,000. For a £300,000 additional home, £5,000 plus a 5% surcharge of £15,000 is £20,000. Our arithmetic from the published bands.
Source: GOV.UK "Stamp Duty Land Tax: residential property rates", read on 2026-10-06. The three purchases are invented examples and every total is our arithmetic. The page showed no effective dates or last-updated date to our reader.
For a £350,000 purchase at standard rates completing on Monday 5 October 2026, the SDLT is £7,500 and the return and payment are due by Monday 19 October 2026. Filed and paid on 2 November 2026, the client owes a £100 penalty plus about £22.29 interest at 7.75%; filed and paid on 20 January 2027, more than three months late, it is a £200 penalty plus about £146.51 interest. Our arithmetic from the published rates.
Source: Finance Act 2003, section 76(1) and Schedule 10 paragraphs 3 to 5, on legislation.gov.uk; GOV.UK "Penalties and interest on a late Stamp Duty Land Tax return" (published 26 June 2026); GOV.UK "Stamp Duty Land Tax: appeal against a late filing penalty" (updated 16 February 2018); GOV.UK "Stamp Duty Land Tax: residential property rates"; GOV.UK "Rates and allowances: HMRC interest rates for late and early payments" (updated 23 December 2025); all read on 2026-10-05. The purchase is an invented example and the penalty and interest figures are our count.
On 1 October 2026 HM Land Registry charges £150 to register a transfer of the whole of a registered title for a price of £200,001 to £500,000 lodged through the portal or Business Gateway, and £330 at the same price for a new lease, a transfer of part, a first registration or anything sent by post; a mortgage lodged with the purchase costs nothing extra, and an official copy or a priority search is £7 through the portal.
Source: GOV.UK, "HM Land Registry: Registration Services fees" (last updated 28 April 2025; it records the last increase to both scales as 31 January 2022) and "HM Land Registry: Information Services fees" (last updated 9 December 2024, the date the Land Registration Fee Order 2024 took effect), both read in a browser on 2026-10-01. The worked totals are our arithmetic on HM Land Registry's figures.
Chasing and being chased are the same hours: the fee earner chases the other side because the client is chasing the fee earner, and the Legal Ombudsman's advice to send short predictable updates attacks the second half, which frees the time the first half needs; on a four-fee-earner desk, 43% of the day is about 55 hours a week.
Source: Landmark Information Group survey of 100 residential conveyancers (England, Wales and Scotland), October 2024, via Legal Futures; Legal Ombudsman figures and advice via Law Gazette, 2 April 2026 (647 complaints in Q3 2025/26, 36% of all complaints, average purchase about 17 weeks); Today's Conveyancer, 28 September 2026, on AI-generated enquiries; read 2026-10-01.
The Legal Ombudsman took 647 residential conveyancing complaints in the third quarter of 2025/26, up 18% on the year and 36% of everything it handled, and its advice to firms was short, predictable updates even when there is nothing new; the average purchase now takes about 17 weeks, roughly twice what clients expect, so the update's job is to say what normal looks like.
Source: Law Gazette, "Conveyancers should contact clients even if there are no updates" (2 April 2026, Legal Ombudsman figures and advice); Landmark Information Group survey of 100 conveyancers via Legal Futures (October 2024, 43% of the day spent chasing or being chased); read 2026-10-01. Tested in headless Edge 2026-10-01.
Rule 16 of the Land Registration Rules 2003 lets the registrar set a period of not less than 20 working days to answer a requisition, but HM Land Registry's practice guide 50 allows 60 working days for most applications, sends a warning of cancellation after 40 and normally extends by 20 on a written request. For a requisition dated 5 October 2026 those points fall on 30 November 2026, 30 December 2026 and 28 January 2027.
Source: HM Land Registry practice guide 50, "Requisition and cancellation procedures" (updated 16 March 2026) and practice guide 12, "Official searches and outline applications" (updated 28 July 2025), on GOV.UK; Land Registration Rules 2003 rule 16 on legislation.gov.uk; GOV.UK "UK bank holidays" for England and Wales; all read on 2026-10-01. The working-day dates are our count.
We wrote this list of 29 steps in 5 stages from the rules set out in 9 of our guides and the official pages each step names. Four deadlines appear in the 29 steps: 14 days for a client to cancel a retainer agreed at a distance, 14 days for the Stamp Duty Land Tax return (30 in Wales), 30 working days of search priority and 60 working days to answer a requisition. The first is the one our guides say firms most often forget.
Source: SRA Transparency Rules, edition in force from 11 April 2025; SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors 8.3 to 8.7; Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulations 29 to 36; Money Laundering Regulations 2017, regulation 28; DG Legal on SRA desk-based reviews, 9 September 2026; Money Laundering Regulations 2017, regulations 33 and 35; our file-opening checklist for a new matter; SRA thematic review of source of funds and wealth compliance, 5 November 2025; Legal Ombudsman figures via the Law Gazette, 2 April 2026; GOV.UK, HM Land Registry: Registration Services fees, read 1 October 2026; Landmark Information Group survey, October 2024, via Legal Futures; Legal Ombudsman figures and advice via the Law Gazette, 2 April 2026; GOV.UK, HM Land Registry: Information Services fees, read 1 October 2026; HM Land Registry practice guide 50, updated 16 March 2026; SRA thematic review, 5 November 2025; SRA anti-money laundering questions and answers; SRA anti-money laundering questions and answers, updated 28 January 2026; HM Land Registry practice guide 12, updated 28 July 2025; GOV.UK, HM Land Registry fees pages, read 1 October 2026; our arithmetic; GOV.UK, Stamp Duty Land Tax: how and when to pay; GOV.WALES, Land Transaction Tax: overview; both read 1 October 2026; HM Land Registry practice guide 50; Land Registration Rules 2003, rule 16; SRA Accounts Rules 2.5 and 5.1(c); Money Laundering Regulations 2017, regulations 28(16) and 40; each step names its source, and the linked guide shows the working.
Probate and private client
Gift history A (gifts of £1,000 in 2024/25, £5,000 in 2025/26 and £4,500 in 2026/27) leaves £0 chargeable in 2025/26 and £1,500 chargeable in 2026/27. Gift history B (nothing in 2024/25, £1,000 in 2025/26, £8,000 in 2026/27) loses the £3,000 from 2024/25, carries £2,000 from 2025/26 and leaves £3,000 chargeable in 2026/27. At 40 per cent the £3,000 would be £1,200 of tax if it were ever charged at the full rate.
Source: HMRC Inheritance Tax Manual IHTM14141, "Lifetime transfers: annual exemption: summary" (https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/inheritance-tax-manual/ihtm14141) and IHTM14144, "Lifetime transfers: annual exemption: roll over provisions" (https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/inheritance-tax-manual/ihtm14144). Both pages were fetched through a summarising tool, not read line by line. Read 27 October 2026.
Counting 90 calendar days from a trust date and the days left at 26 October 2026 gives 30 October 2026 (4 days left) for a trust created on 1 August 2026, 14 December 2026 (49 days) for 15 September 2026, 30 December 2026 (65 days) for 1 October 2026 and 24 January 2027 (90 days) for a trust created today. A firm that registers within 14 days of signing has at least 76 spare days in each case. A will trust that closes within 2 years of a death on 30 November 2024 would have to close by 30 November 2026, 35 days from today, to fall within the exclusion.
Source: GOV.UK, "Register a trust as a trustee" (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/register-a-trust-as-a-trustee): non-taxable and taxable trusts created after the 2020 and 2021 start dates register within 90 days of creation or of becoming liable for tax; older taxable trusts register by 5 October or 31 January after the first tax year of liability; a failure to register may mean a £5,000 penalty; a will trust set up on death is excluded if it closes within 2 years of death, unless it is liable to UK tax. The page was fetched through a summarising tool, not read line by line. Read 26 October 2026.
Counting two years from each date of death and the days left at 24 October 2026 gives 0 days for a death on 24 October 2024, 1 day for 25 October 2024, 37 days for 30 November 2024, 141 days for 14 March 2025 and 365 days for 24 October 2025. A firm that books signing a full 14 days before the second anniversary has 14 spare days in every case, so a death on 30 November 2024 must be signed by 16 November 2026.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Inheritance Tax Act 1984, section 142, "Alteration of dispositions taking effect on death" (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/51/section/142): variation within two years of death, by written instrument; a statement by all the relevant persons that they intend the section to apply (s.142(2)); personal representatives may decline to join only where there are no, or not enough, assets to pay extra tax (s.142(2A)); no effect where made for money or money's worth (s.142(3)); charity must be notified (s.142(3A)); applies whether or not the estate is administered (s.142(6)). I could not retrieve the GOV.UK guidance page on this today (the address I tried returned a 404). Read 24 October 2026.
With 8 copies needed in total, ordering all 8 with the application costs 526 + 8 x 2 = £542. Ordering 5 up front and 3 later costs 526 + 5 x 2 + 3 x 16 = £584, which is £42 more. Each copy ordered late costs £16 - £2 = £14 more, so a copy is worth ordering up front whenever the chance of needing it exceeds 2 / 16 = 12.5%; an unused copy wastes only £2.
Source: GOV.UK, "Applying for probate: fees" (https://www.gov.uk/applying-for-probate/fees): fee of £526 where the estate is over £5,000; no fee at £5,000 or less; copies £2 each if ordered with the application and £16 each afterwards; £22 for a second application where probate has already been granted. The related GOV.UK page "Applying for a grant of representation" says only that a fee may be payable and points to the fees page. Read 23 October 2026.
If the first spouse's estate was £600,000 with £195,000 left to children, 195,000 / 325,000 = 60% of the threshold was used and 40% is unused. The survivor's threshold is 325,000 x 40% + 325,000 = £455,000. On a second estate of £700,000 the tax is 40% x (700,000 - 455,000) = £98,000, against 40% x (700,000 - 325,000) = £150,000 with no claim, a difference of £52,000 (which is 40% x £130,000 of extra threshold).
Source: GOV.UK, "Transferring unused basic threshold for Inheritance Tax" (unused percentage, available threshold, £650,000 maximum, claim on IHT400 with IHT402, request within 2 years of the death of the surviving spouse or civil partner; IHT217 and C1 routes) and "Inheritance Tax: claim to transfer unused nil rate band (IHT402)" (use with IHT400). Standard £325,000 threshold and 40% rate as stated on GOV.UK "Inheritance Tax rates and thresholds". Read 22 October 2026.
For a death on 14 March 2026 the tax is due by 30 September 2026. At 7.75% simple interest, £40,000 paid 90 days late (29 December 2026) adds £764.38, about £8.49 a day; £120,000 paid 180 days late adds £4,586.30.
Source: GOV.UK, Paying Inheritance Tax, and GOV.UK, HMRC interest rates for late and early payments (Inheritance Tax rows), both read on 16 October 2026 (pay by the end of the sixth month after death; late payment rate 7.75% and repayment rate 2.75% from 9 January 2026)
Tax of £36,000 on qualifying assets in ten equal annual instalments is £3,600 a year. A death on 12 January 2027 makes the first instalment due 31 July 2027 and the tenth 31 July 2036. On an estate with £150,000 of tax, £36,000 on qualifying assets is 24%, which passes a 20% test, and £27,000 is 18%, which does not.
Source: GOV.UK, "Pay Inheritance Tax: yearly instalments" and "Pay Inheritance Tax" (equal annual instalments over 10 years; eligible assets: assets qualifying for Agricultural or Business Relief, land and buildings including houses if not sold, controlling shares, unlisted shares over £20,000 meeting the 10% tests, other assets if at least 20% of the estate's tax is on qualifying assets or a lump sum would cause financial difficulties, the net value of a business, certain gifts; first instalment due end of sixth month after death; no interest on the first instalment unless late; interest usually on later instalments and on the outstanding balance; none on the outstanding balance for assets inherited from 6 April 2026 qualifying for Agricultural or Business Relief; select on form IHT400; remaining tax due in full on sale; ask HMRC for a final assessment to pay early). Read 14 October 2026.
A house with a probate value of £300,000 sells for £330,000, a gain of £30,000. Taxed in the estate at 24% it is £7,200. If the house had passed to a beneficiary with £30,000 of taxable income and the £3,000 allowance, the gain of £27,000 would fill £7,700 of the £37,700 basic band at 18% (£1,386) and the other £19,300 at 24% (£4,632), a total of £6,018. The difference is £1,182.
Source: GOV.UK, "Capital Gains Tax: rates" (24% for higher and additional rate taxpayers from 6 April 2026; basic-rate taxpayers add the gain to taxable income, 18% within the basic band and 24% above it; the page's basic rate band example is £37,700 for 2026 to 2027; "trustees and personal representatives pay tax at 24% from 6 April 2026") and "Capital Gains Tax: allowances" (£3,000 for individuals, £1,500 for trusts; the page does not mention personal representatives or give a tax year). Read 13 October 2026.
A £600,000 net estate, all to children, with the £325,000 threshold. Without a gift the tax is 40% of £275,000, which is £110,000, and the children receive £490,000. With £60,000 to charity the taxable part is £215,000, at 36% that is £77,400, and the children receive £462,600. The family is £27,400 worse off for a gift of £60,000, so the gift costs 45.7p in the pound.
Source: GOV.UK, "Inheritance Tax" overview (standard rate 40% above the £325,000 threshold; estates can pay a reduced rate of 36% on some assets where 10% or more of the net value is left to charity in the will; net value is the estate less debts). Read 11 October 2026.
A £500,000 net estate with a spouse and two children: the spouse takes the personal chattels, then £322,000, then half of the remaining £178,000, which is £89,000, so £411,000 in all; the children share £89,000, £44,500 each. At £1,000,000 the spouse takes £661,000 and the children £339,000. At £250,000 the legacy absorbs everything, so the spouse takes it all and the children nothing.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, The Administration of Estates Act 1925 (Fixed Net Sum) Order 2023, SI 2023/758 (fixed net sum of £322,000 where the intestate leaves issue; in force 26 July 2023); GOV.UK, HMRC Inheritance Tax Manual IHTM12121 (spouse or civil partner takes personal chattels, a fixed net sum and half the residue where there is issue; the whole intestate estate where there is none, for deaths on or after 1 October 2014). Read 10 October 2026.
A client gives £500,000 cash to a child on 14 July 2023, with no other gifts and no exemption applying. Only the £175,000 above the £325,000 threshold is taxable. Death between 14 July 2026 and 13 July 2027 gives a 32% rate and £56,000; the next year 24% and £42,000; then 16% and £28,000; then 8% and £14,000; on or after 14 July 2030, nothing. Death within three years of the gift would have meant 40% and £70,000.
Source: GOV.UK, Inheritance Tax: gifts (no tax if the donor lives seven years after the gift, other than gifts into a trust; taper relief applies only if the gifts made in the seven years before death exceed the £325,000 threshold; rates of 40% for gifts in the three years before death, then 32% for 3 to 4 years, 24% for 4 to 5, 16% for 5 to 6, 8% for 6 to 7 and 0% after seven years; £3,000 annual exemption; gifts of up to £250 per person). Read 9 October 2026.
An unmarried owner who dies in 2026 holding £4,000,000 of qualifying unquoted shares and nothing else gets 100% relief on £2,500,000 and 50% on £1,500,000, so £3,250,000 is relieved and £750,000 is chargeable; after the £325,000 nil-rate band that is £425,000 taxed at 40%, which is £170,000. Under a £1,000,000 cap the same estate would pay £470,000, so the £2.5 million allowance saves £300,000 (40% of the £750,000 of extra relief on the £1,500,000 that moves from 50% to 100%).
Source: GOV.UK, Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief changes (updated 3 March 2026: £2.5 million allowance for 100% relief, 50% above it, unused allowance transferable to a surviving spouse or civil partner from 6 April 2026, full allowance assumed available if the first death was before that date, transitional rules for gifts from 30 October 2024, shares designated "not listed" at 50%); GOV.UK, Inheritance Tax (40% rate, £325,000 nil-rate band, unused threshold transferable to a partner). Read 8 October 2026. The Finance Act provisions themselves were not read for this guide.
For a grant issued on 14 October 2026, a section 27 notice published on 23 October 2026 must give claimants until at least 23 December 2026, while the six-month period under section 20 of the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 runs to 14 April 2027: 182 days after the grant, so 112 days later than the section 27 date. The later of the two sets the earliest protected final distribution, 15 April 2027.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Trustee Act 1925 section 27 (notice in the Gazette and a local newspaper, claims period "not being less than two months", protection after distribution); Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 section 4 (six months from the date representation is first taken out) and section 20(1) (personal representatives not liable for distributing after that period). Read 7 October 2026.
An estate valued at £5,000 pays no application fee and one valued at £5,001 pays £526, so £1 of value costs £526; ordering two extra copies with the application costs £4 (2 x £2), against £32 (2 x £16) if they are ordered after, a difference of £28, and the total for a £5,001 estate with two copies is £530.
Source: GOV.UK, Applying for probate: when you need probate, read 6 October 2026; GOV.UK, Applying for probate: fees, read 6 October 2026; GOV.UK, Probate and estates: the basics, read 6 October 2026.
For a single person leaving a home to children, the £175,000 residence nil-rate band starts to taper at £2,000,000 and is gone at £2,350,000. An estate of £2,200,000 loses £100,000 of band and pays £720,000 against £680,000 without the taper, so the extra £200,000 of estate costs £40,000 extra, an effective 60% rate on that slice.
Source: GOV.UK, Inheritance Tax nil-rate band and residence nil-rate band thresholds from 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2028 (policy paper: £325,000, £175,000, taper of £1 for every £2 over £2 million of net estate); GOV.UK, Inheritance Tax (40% standard rate, £500,000 combined threshold for a home passed to children or grandchildren); GOV.UK, Residence nil-rate band guidance (direct descendants, transfer between spouses). All read 6 October 2026.
A caveat entered on 5 October 2026 runs to 5 April 2027, so the extension has to be applied for from about 5 March 2027; holding it for 12 months costs £8 (two lots of £4), against £526 for the grant application it delays, and a warning served on 12 October 2026 leaves until 25 October 2026 to respond, counting the day of service as day one.
Source: GOV.UK, Stop a probate application (caveat guidance), read 5 October 2026; Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987, rule 44 (legislation.gov.uk), read 5 October 2026; Non-Contentious Probate Fees Order 2004, Schedule 1, as amended by the Court and Tribunal Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2026 (SI 2026/642), in force 6 July 2026, read 5 October 2026.
An estate has to be registered with HMRC only if it was worth more than £2.5 million at death, the personal representatives sold more than £500,000 of assets in one tax year, or the tax due is more than £10,000. For tax year 2025 to 2026 a registered estate registers by 5 October 2026, sends a paper SA900 by 31 October 2026 or files through bought software by 31 January 2027, and pays by 31 January 2027; a late return costs £100 at once.
Source: GOV.UK "Register your client's estate" (updated 10 April 2025); GOV.UK "Self Assessment tax returns: deadlines" and "penalties"; GOV.UK "Trusts and taxes: trustees' tax responsibilities"; GOV.UK "Self Assessment: Trust and Estate Tax Return (SA900)" (updated 13 May 2026); HMRC Trusts, Settlements and Estates Manual TSEM7356 and TSEM7410 (both updated 10 September 2026); GOV.UK "Income Tax rates and allowances for current and previous tax years" (updated 6 April 2026); all read on 2026-10-01. The estate and its figures are an invented example.
Estate accounts are three statements (capital, income and distribution) and they are right only if total receipts equal total payments: £375,880 on each side in our example. No form is prescribed, but section 25 of the Administration of Estates Act 1925 lets the court require an inventory and an account, and since 6 April 2024 an estate pays no income tax in a tax year when its income is £500 or less, and tax on the whole amount when it is more.
Source: Administration of Estates Act 1925 ss25 and 44 and Trustee Act 1925 s27 (legislation.gov.uk); GOV.UK "Applying for probate: fees" (£526 and £2 a copy, read in a browser); GOV.UK "Register your client's estate" (updated 10 April 2025); HMRC Trusts, Settlements and Estates Manual TSEM7356 and TSEM7410; GOV.UK "Capital Gains Tax rates and allowances" and "Income Tax rates and allowances"; GOV.UK "Inheritance Tax" and "Valuing the estate of someone who's died: records"; HMRC form R185 (Estate Income); all read 2026-10-01. The estate and its figures are an invented example.
For a death on 15 March 2026 with an IHT400 to file, inheritance tax is due by 30 September 2026 and the account by 31 March 2027; if the IHT400 goes to HMRC on 1 June 2026 the earliest probate application is 29 June after HMRC's 20 working days; the fee is £526 on an estate over £5,000; and from the grant, Inheritance Act claims run for six months, while the deed of variation deadline is 15 March 2028.
Source: GOV.UK "Pay your Inheritance Tax bill: deadline" (end of the sixth month after death; interest after) and "Applying for probate" (usually within 12 weeks), read 2026-10-01; HMRC guidance to wait 20 working days after sending the IHT400; probate fee £526 for estates over £5,000 and £2 for each extra copy ordered with the application (GOV.UK "Applying for probate: fees", read 2026-10-01); Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 s4; IHTA 1984 s142 (two years). Tested in headless Edge 2026-10-01.
SRA, AML and transparency
Taking £5 off each fee gives net fees of £47 (tier 1), £73 (tier 2) and £3,758 (tier 3). The £5 is 9.6% of £52, 6.4% of £78 and 0.13% of £3,763. A charge period starting on 1 December 2026 gives a 21-day window ending on 21 December 2026 if day 1 is the first day of the period; 14 days of that window would be left after a reminder set for 8 December 2026.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, The Data Protection (Charges and Information) Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/480), regulation 3 (charge amounts, substituted 17 February 2025 by SI 2025/63; direct debit reduction of £5.00) and regulation 2 (information to be given within 21 days of each charge period, with the staff bands of 10 and 250 and the turnover bands of £632,000 and £36 million), https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/480/regulation/3 and /regulation/2. The pages were fetched through a summarising tool, not read line by line. The ICO page https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-fee/self-assessment/ was also fetched and gave no fee figures. Read 30 October 2026.
At the Bank of England's Bank Rate of 3.75% (held at the 17 September 2026 decision), £50,000 of client money held for 14 days earns £71.92 and £250,000 held for 3 days earns £77.05, while £10,000 for 14 days earns £14.38; a firm that pays interest only when it reaches £20 is therefore choosing a cut-off of about 194,667 pound-days, which £10,000 reaches after 19.5 days and £250,000 within a single day.
Source: SRA Accounts Rules, rule 7 "Payment of interest" (version in effect from 25 November 2019), read on sra.org.uk 2026-10-06; Bank of England, "The Interest Rate (Bank Rate)" page, current rate 3.75% and the 17 September 2026 decision, read 2026-10-06. The SRA's rules neither define nor quantify "fair"; the £20 cut-off and the sums are our illustrations, not SRA figures. Simple interest on 365 days. General information, not legal advice.
SRA Accounts Rule 3.3 bars a firm from using its client account to provide banking facilities, and every payment in, transfer or withdrawal must be in respect of regulated services the firm is delivering. The SRA's warning notice, updated 1 March 2023, says the client's convenience is not a legitimate reason and nor is having no UK bank account. In our example £228,996 of sale proceeds is left after the connected payments, and none of the three further payments the client asks for, £49,550 in all, can go from client account.
Source: SRA Accounts Rules 2.5, 3.3, 4.3 and 11.1 (version in effect from 25 November 2019); SRA warning notice, Improper use of client account as a banking facility, and the case studies published with it (both updated 1 March 2023); SRA guidance, Helping you keep accurate client accounting records (updated 25 November 2019) and Planning for and completing an accountant's report (updated 14 September 2020); all read on sra.org.uk on 2 October 2026. The sale and its figures are our example.
A firm that held client money must obtain an accountant's report within six months of the end of its accounting period (SRA Accounts Rule 12.1) unless its client money balance averaged £10,000 or less and never exceeded £250,000 (rule 12.2). On the SRA's method the average is the sum of the reconciliation balances divided by their number, so a firm that reconciles 25 times or fewer in the period can only ever fail on the average. In our example one month-end balance of £58,400 takes a firm's average to £10,650.
Source: SRA Accounts Rules 2.2, 8.2, 8.3, 12.1 to 12.9 and 13.1 (version in effect from 25 November 2019); SRA guidance, Accountant's report and the exemption to obtain one (updated 25 November 2019) and Planning for and completing an accountant's report (updated 14 September 2020); all read on sra.org.uk on 2 October 2026. The firm and its balances are our example; the 25-reconciliation point is our arithmetic on the SRA's method.
We wrote this questionnaire of 5 questions and 8 outcomes from the rules set out in 3 of our guides and the sources each outcome names. Four of the eight outcomes end with no price information to publish: an unlisted service, work beyond a listed service's limit, publicly funded work and a service the firm does not advertise. The website question is reached only after three answers have shown that rule 1.1 applies.
Source: SRA Transparency Rules 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1 and 4.1 (in force from 11 April 2025) and SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors 8.7, read 2 October 2026; SRA Transparency Rules 1.3 and 1.4 (in force from 11 April 2025), read 2 October 2026; SRA Transparency Rules 1.1 and 1.2 (in force from 11 April 2025), read 2 October 2026; SRA Transparency Rules 1.1 (in force from 11 April 2025) and SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors 8.7, read 2 October 2026; SRA Transparency Rules 3.1 and 4.2 (in force from 11 April 2025); SRA guidance, Transparency in price and service (updated 30 September 2024); read 2 October 2026; SRA Transparency Rules 1.5(g) (in force from 11 April 2025); SRA guidance, Transparency in price and service (updated 30 September 2024); read 2 October 2026; SRA Transparency Rules 1.5 and 1.6 (in force from 11 April 2025); SRA guidance, Transparency in price and service (updated 30 September 2024); read 2 October 2026; each outcome names its source, and the linked guide shows the working.
We wrote this questionnaire of 6 questions and 8 outcomes from the rules set out in 3 of our guides and the sources each outcome names. Of the 22 routes through the six questions, 11 end at the SRA notice outcome, because a notice under rule 12.4 overrides every exemption. Only two routes reach the £10,000 and £250,000 exemption, and both need the average sum done first.
Source: SRA Accounts Rules, rules 12.4, 12.5 and 12.8, on sra.org.uk, read 2 October 2026.; SRA Accounts Rules, rule 12.1, on sra.org.uk, read 2 October 2026.; SRA Accounts Rules, rules 2.1(d) and 2.2, on sra.org.uk, read 2 October 2026.; SRA Accounts Rules, rule 12.2(a), on sra.org.uk, read 2 October 2026.; SRA Accounts Rules, rules 8.3, 12.2 and 12.3, on sra.org.uk, read 2 October 2026; SRA guidance, Planning for and completing an accountant's report (updated 14 September 2020), read 2 October 2026; the averaging method from the SRA's exemption guidance as set out in our guide.; SRA Accounts Rules, rules 12.2, 12.4 and 13.1, on sra.org.uk, read 2 October 2026.; SRA Accounts Rules, rules 3.3 and 12.1, on sra.org.uk; SRA guidance, Planning for and completing an accountant's report (updated 14 September 2020); both read 2 October 2026.; SRA Accounts Rules, rules 12.1, 12.2, 12.5, 12.8 and 12.9, on sra.org.uk, read 2 October 2026.; each outcome names its source, and the linked guide shows the working.
Free tool: Do we need an accountant's report this year? Six questions for a small law firm
We wrote this questionnaire of 5 questions and 7 outcomes from the rules set out in 3 of our guides and the sources each outcome names. Two of the seven outcomes are reached before anything is asked about the final response: a complainant too large for the Ombudsman, and a complaint first raised more than a year after the problem. The wording of the response is asked before its age, because without the three items in rule 4.4 the six months never start.
Source: Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules, 1 April 2023, rule 2.1 and note 13; SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors 8.3 and 8.5 (in force from 11 April 2025); read 2 October 2026; Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules, 1 April 2023, rules 4.5, 4.7 and 4.8; SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors 8.5; read 2 October 2026; Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules, 1 April 2023, rules 4.1 and 4.2; Legal Ombudsman, Getting started with the Model Complaints Resolution Procedure; read 2 October 2026; Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules, 1 April 2023, rules 4.2, 4.4 and 6.3; SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors 8.4 (in force from 11 April 2025); read 2 October 2026; Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules, 1 April 2023, rules 4.4 and 4.5, read 2 October 2026; Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules, 1 April 2023, rules 4.4, 4.7 and 4.8, read 2 October 2026; Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules, 1 April 2023, rules 4.4, 4.5, 4.8, 6.2 and 6.3, read 2 October 2026; each outcome names its source, and the linked guide shows the working.
Free tool: Which Legal Ombudsman time limit applies to this complaint? Five questions for a law firm
A residual balance of £500 or less on any one client matter can be paid to a charity without asking the SRA, provided the firm has taken reasonable steps to return it, recorded those steps and kept the records for six years, and entered the payment in a central register; anything over £500 needs the SRA's written authority first (SRA Accounts Rules 5.1(c)).
Source: SRA Accounts Rules 2.5, 5.1, 8.3 and 13.1 (version in effect from 25 November 2019); SRA statement "The prescribed circumstances in which you can withdraw client money from client account to pay to a charity of your choice" (in effect from 25 November 2019); SRA guidance "Granting authority to withdraw residual client balances" (updated 8 October 2020); SRA application page "Withdrawal of residual client balances" (8 August 2024); all read on sra.org.uk 2026-10-01.
SRA Accounts Rule 13.1 requires accounting records to be kept for at least six years, and regulation 40 of the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 requires client due diligence records to be kept for five years from the end of the business relationship, after which the personal data in them must be deleted unless an exception applies. No rule sets a period for the rest of the file. For a file closed on 30 November 2026 the two fixed dates are 30 November 2032 and 29 November 2031, and the 15-year long stop for a negligence claim runs to 30 November 2041.
Source: SRA Accounts Rules, rule 13.1, and SRA guidance "Closing down your practice" (updated 22 February 2022) on sra.org.uk; Money Laundering Regulations 2017, regulation 40, and Limitation Act 1980, sections 2, 5, 14A and 14B, on legislation.gov.uk; Law Society Practice Advice Service, "How long should I retain my closed files in storage?" (22 November 2023); ICO guide to the storage limitation principle; all read on 2026-10-01. The dates are our count.
A residential purchase for an individual agreed by email needs seven checks before chargeable work starts, and the one most often missed is not AML but the Consumer Contracts Regulations cancellation notice, without which the 14-day cooling-off period can run for up to a year and fees for work done inside it are at risk.
Source: SRA Transparency Rules (edition in force 11 April 2025: services list, price content, complaints information, digital badge); SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors 8.3 to 8.7; Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 regs 29 to 36; Money Laundering Regulations 2017 regs 28, 33 and 35; read 2026-10-01. Tested in headless Edge 2026-10-01.
A complaint received on 1 October 2026 must be resolved by 26 November 2026, eight weeks later. A final response dated 20 November 2026 gives the client until 20 May 2027 to go to the Legal Ombudsman, but only if the response states the six-month limit and gives the Ombudsman's full contact details; if it does not, that clock does not start.
Source: Legal Ombudsman, "How to complain" and "Signposting consumers to the Legal Ombudsman"; Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules in force from 1 April 2023 and its guidance on the changes; all read 2026-10-01. The test record is in tests/clerksworth/tools-check.txt.
We wrote this list of 26 steps in 6 stages from the rules set out in 7 of our guides and the official pages each step names. Five time limits appear in the 26 steps: five working days to acknowledge, ten working days for early resolution, eight weeks for the final response, and six months and one year for the client to go to the Legal Ombudsman. The first two come from a voluntary model; the other three are in the Ombudsman's Scheme Rules.
Source: Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules, 1 April 2023, rule 4.2; Legal Ombudsman, How to complain; our complaint deadline calculator; SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors 8.2 and 8.5; SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors 8.3; SRA Transparency Rules 2.1, edition in force from 11 April 2025; Legal Ombudsman Model Complaints Resolution Procedure, 29 July 2026; Legal Ombudsman template letters, 29 July 2026, and news release, 1 October 2026; SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors 8.5; Legal Ombudsman Model Complaints Resolution Procedure and guidance, 29 July 2026; Legal Ombudsman guidance for small providers, 29 July 2026; Legal Ombudsman advice reported by the Law Gazette, 2 April 2026; our update template; Legal Ombudsman template letters, 29 July 2026; our complaint deadline calculator; SRA warning notice on misuse of artificial intelligence, 17 August 2026; Legal Ombudsman, Signposting consumers to the Legal Ombudsman; Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules, rule 4.4; Signposting consumers to the Legal Ombudsman; Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules in force from 1 April 2023; SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors 8.4; SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors 8.4; Office for Legal Complaints consultation, June 2026; Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules, rule 6.2; Legal Ombudsman figures and advice via the Law Gazette, 2 April 2026; each step names its source, and the linked guide shows the working.
We wrote ten questions from the rules set out in 9 of our guides; for 4 of the ten the answer that is in order is "no", so the check cannot be passed by ticking yes. The first asks: If the SRA's anti-money laundering letter arrived today, could the firm send its firm-wide risk assessment, proliferation financing assessment and policies within ten calendar days? A desk-based review gives ten calendar days to send those documents with the template risk assessments and the fee earner and matter lists. Of 833 firms rated after proactive work, 270 (32%) were not compliant.
Source: DG Legal on SRA desk-based reviews, Legal Futures, 9 September 2026; Money Laundering Regulations 2017; SRA thematic review of source of funds and wealth compliance, 5 November 2025; Money Laundering Regulations 2017 reg 28(11)(a); SRA thematic review of source of funds and wealth compliance, 5 November 2025; Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules, 1 April 2023; Office for Legal Complaints consultation, June 2026; Legal Ombudsman, 'Signposting consumers to the Legal Ombudsman' and Scheme Rules, 1 April 2023; SRA Accounts Rules 2.5 and 5.1(c); SRA Transparency Rules, edition in force from 11 April 2025; SRA Indemnity Insurance Rules and Minimum Terms and Conditions; SRA warning notice on misuse of artificial intelligence, 17 August 2026; SRA Code of Conduct 2.4 and 3.5; SRA Fee policy 2026/27 and mySRA bulk renewal page, read 1 October 2026; each rule is set out with its source in the guide the question links to. The test record is in tests/readiness/tools-check.txt.
The Legal Ombudsman's case fee is £400 today; the proposals consulted on until 2 September 2026 would make it £200, £750 or £1,500 depending on the stage a complaint reaches, plus £400 where the firm gave no final response within eight weeks, from 1 April 2027 if approved, so an unanswered complaint taken to a final decision would cost £1,900.
Source: SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors 8.2 to 8.5 and SRA Transparency Rules 2.1 (versions in effect from 11 April 2025); Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules, 1 April 2023 (rules 4.2, 4.4, 5.43, 6.2, 6.3); Office for Legal Complaints consultation on Scheme Rules, case fees and publishing decisions (June 2026) and case fee Q&A (13 August 2026); Legal Ombudsman Model Complaints Resolution Procedure page, guidance and template letters (29 July 2026); Legal Ombudsman news release on AI and complaints (1 October 2026) and Legal Futures' report of it for the 200 files; Law Gazette, 2 April 2026, for the Ombudsman's advice on updates; all read 2026-10-01.
In 2024 to 2025 the SRA read 5,873 files at 833 firms; 5,026 needed a source of funds check and 648 of those (11%) had none, on 18% of files the evidence had not been adequately scrutinised, and on 8% the money on the ledger did not match the evidence. Regulation 28(11)(a) of the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 requires scrutiny of the source of funds "where necessary", and the SRA expects a written reason on the file when a firm decides a check is not needed.
Source: SRA, "Thematic review of source of funds and wealth compliance" (5 November 2025); SRA anti-money laundering questions and answers, source of funds and wealth section (updated 28 January 2026); Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 regs 28(11), 28(16), 31, 33, 35(5) and 40 on legislation.gov.uk; all read 2026-10-01.
A desk-based review gives ten calendar days to send the firm-wide risk assessment, proliferation financing assessment, policies controls and procedures, template client and matter risk assessments, the in-scope fee earner list and open and closed matter lists; the SRA then reads 10 to 12 files, and of 833 firms rated after proactive work, 270 (32%) were not compliant, most often for documents that did not describe the firm's actual practice.
Source: DG Legal, "SRA desk-based reviews and AML inspections" (Legal Futures, 9 September 2026); Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 regs 18, 18A, 19, 21, 28, 33 and 35; read 2026-10-01. Tested in headless Edge 2026-10-01.
The rules name six services for individuals and three for businesses, and for each the page must carry the seven items of rule 1.5 (total cost or range; basis of charging; the experience and qualifications of who does the work; disbursements; VAT; what is included, with key stages and timescales; and, where a conditional fee or damages-based agreement is used, when the client may have to pay); the two most often missing on small-firm sites are the experience of the people doing the work and the SRA digital badge.
Source: SRA Transparency Rules, edition in force from 11 April 2025, read on sra.org.uk 2026-10-01; the "most often missing" observation is ours from reading the rules against the pattern of sites, not an SRA statistic.
Running the firm
For a new deputy with no hearing, year one comes to £432 + £100 + £320 = £852 under general supervision and £432 + £100 + £35 = £567 under minimal supervision. Adding a hearing (£266) gives £1,118 and £833. Over three years the totals are £1,492 (£852 + 2 x £320) and £637 (£567 + 2 x £35), a difference of £855. One-off fees are £532 of the £852, or 62.4%.
Source: GOV.UK, "Become a deputy: fees" (application £432, hearing £266, assessment £100 for new deputies, annual supervision £320 general or £35 minimal for some property and affairs deputies managing less than £21,000; refund if the person dies within 5 days; part-year supervision; exemption or reduction for certain benefits or income below £12,000) and "Become a deputy: apply for deputyship" (an application fee is payable, linking to the fees page). Read 21 October 2026.
At an assumed total rate of 12% (8% plus an assumed 4% base rate), 45 days late adds £11.84 of interest to an £800 invoice, £59.18 to a £4,000 invoice and £177.53 to a £12,000 invoice. With the fixed sums of £40, £70 and £100 the extras come to £51.84, £129.18 and £277.53, so on the £800 invoice the fixed sum is 3.4 times the interest (£40 / £11.84 = 3.38).
Source: GOV.UK, "Late commercial payments: interest and debt recovery", pages "Charging interest on late commercial payments" (8% plus the Bank of England base rate; no interest where a contract sets a different rate; send a new invoice to add interest) and "Claiming debt recovery costs" (fixed sums: up to £999.99 £40, £1,000 to £9,999.99 £70, £10,000 or more £100; once per payment; reasonable recovery costs for a supplier). Read 20 October 2026.
A dismissal with an effective date of 30 September 2026 keeps the three-month limit and the last day to claim is 29 December 2026; one on 1 October 2026 gets six months and the last day is 31 March 2027, which is 92 days later for an event one day apart. If Acas conciliation ran from 1 March to 29 March 2027, the 31 March date moves to 29 April 2027.
Source: Employment Rights Act 2025 s152 and Schedule 12 (legislation.gov.uk, read 2026-10-05); The Employment Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 5 and Transitional Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/954, regulations 3 and 4 (made 1 September 2026, legislation.gov.uk, read 2026-10-05); GOV.UK "Make a claim to an employment tribunal" (read 2026-10-05); Employment Tribunals Act 1996 s207B as described on Acas and GOV.UK early conciliation pages (read 2026-10-05). Date arithmetic checked in Node 2026-10-05.
If a firm's policy expired on 30 September 2026 with no replacement, the SRA rules give 30 days of extended cover (to 30 October), then a 60-day cessation period with no new instructions (to 29 December), and the firm must tell the SRA within five business days of entering each; the minimum cover is £3 million a claim for an LLP or limited company and £2 million for other firms.
Source: SRA Indemnity Insurance Rules and Minimum Terms and Conditions (version in effect from 11 April 2025: rules 2.1 to 2.4, 3.1, 3.2, 4.2, 5.1, 8.1; MTC clauses 2.1 to 2.4, 3.1 to 3.4, 4.1, 5.3, 5.4); SRA Glossary definitions of extended policy period, cessation period, policy period and relevant recognised body; SRA "Professional indemnity insurance" resource page and the extended policy and cessation period case studies (both updated 25 November 2019); SRA guidance on adequate and appropriate indemnity insurance; SRA list of participating insurers 2026/27; all read 2026-10-01.
On 1 October 2026 the fee to issue a money claim runs from £35 for a claim of up to £300 to £455 for a claim of £5,000.01 to £10,000, then 5% of the claim up to £200,000 and a flat £10,000 above that, and it is worked out on the debt plus interest. A hearing costs £27 to £346 on the small claims track, £619 on the fast track and £1,334 on the intermediate or multi-track. A firm issuing 36 claims in our example pays £23,837 in court fees in the year.
Source: HM Courts and Tribunals Service, "Civil court fees (EX50)" on GOV.UK, updated 13 July 2026; Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 on justice.gov.uk; SRA Transparency Rules and SRA Accounts Rules on sra.org.uk; all read on 2026-10-01. The worked sums are ours.
On the example hours for a small law firm (36 office hours a week, 19.5 of them on six jobs a tool can prepare, a quarter of each kept for checking), 14.6 hours a week could be handed over: 41% of the total, costing £10,091 a year at £15 an hour over 46 weeks.
Source: Arithmetic on the hours entered; the checking share is our stated assumption and can be changed. Rules behind what is reserved: SRA warning notice on AI, 17 August 2026; SRA Code of Conduct 3.5; Legal Ombudsman quarterly complaints data, read 1 October 2026
On 1 October 2026 a standard seat cost £15 a month on ChatGPT Business and £18 including VAT on Claude Team, both billed annually; the Microsoft 365 Copilot Business add-on cost £13.80 before VAT on a first-year offer, and Google Workspace Business Standard with Gemini cost £11.80. Each vendor's own page says business-plan content is not used to train its models, three of the four adding "by default" or "without permission", and the SRA's warning notice of 17 August 2026 says a paid tool may still lack the safeguards client information needs.
Source: chatgpt.com/pricing and OpenAI "Enterprise privacy" (updated 8 January 2026); claude.com/pricing, Anthropic Commercial Terms of Service (effective 17 June 2025) and Anthropic privacy centre; Microsoft UK Microsoft 365 Copilot business pricing page and Microsoft Learn "Data, Privacy, and Security for Microsoft Copilot" (updated 18 August 2026); workspace.google.com UK pricing and "Generative AI in Google Workspace Privacy Hub" (updated 14 August 2026); SRA, "Misuse of AI: warning notice" (17 August 2026); Law Society, "Generative AI – the essentials"; all read on 2026-10-01.
The paused rule would have barred a manager with unilateral decision-making power from being COLP or COFA in a firm with turnover over £600,000 or holding more than £2 million of client money, and allowed a sole owner-manager to be COLP but not COFA; it was due in January 2027 after Legal Services Board approval, and the SRA paused it on 1 October 2026 citing the risk of unintended consequences for smaller firms.
Source: Legal Futures, "SRA announces pause to compliance officer rule changes" (1 October 2026); Law Society position (September 2026) via the same report; SRA Authorisation of Firms Rules 9.1 for the existing role requirements; read 2026-10-01.
On 1 October 2026 three of the five suppliers we checked showed a UK per-user price a firm could read before a sales call: Clio Manage from £79 a user a month on its Core plan, Osprey Approach at £110 or £140 a licence a month on a 36-month term with a three-licence minimum, and Hoowla at £48 a user a month plus VAT. LEAP's page says price on request and Actionstep is quote-only. For a seven-user firm the published range runs from £4,032 to £11,760 a year.
Source: clio.com/uk/pricing (Core "starting at" £79 a user a month; the two higher plans are quoted), ospreyapproach.com/price-plans (Advanced £110 and Premium £140 per paying licence, billed monthly; 36-month term; prices rise 5% on each anniversary; minimum three licences) and hoowla.com/pricing (quote calculator: £48 a user a month and £24.50 per completed case, plus VAT), each read in a browser on 2026-10-01; LEAP UK pricing page (price on request, read 2026-10-01); Actionstep publishes no price; third-party listings for LEAP's £129. An earlier version of this page gave Clio and Osprey figures from comparison pages; they were replaced with the suppliers' own the same day. Hoowla Trustpilot: 7 reviews, 2.3 of 5, read 2026-10-01.
The SRA's warning notice of 17 August 2026 puts the duty on the supervisor, not the tool: the firm remains accountable for work done through AI (Code 3.5), every citation and assertion must be verified (Code 2.4), and client information may only go into an AI system with contractual, technical and organisational safeguards, because entering it into a public tool can waive privilege; the trade press reports 42 reports of potential misuse to the SRA in the preceding twelve months and that 17% of firms surveyed had no AI policy at all.
Source: SRA, "Warning notice: misuse of artificial intelligence" (17 August 2026), read 2026-10-01; Kennedys and other trade commentary for the 42 reports (July 2025 to July 2026); Law Gazette on the vendor survey of 500+ legal professionals (89% use AI, 17% no policy, 7% of clients told); Today's Conveyancer, "Eight questions to ask any AI supplier" (1 October 2026); Anthropic privacy centre (19 August 2026), read 2026-10-01.
For 2026/27 the SRA charges £552 for each practising certificate (a £382 fee plus a £170 compensation fund contribution, against £396 in 2025/26), a periodic fee set by the firm's turnover band, and £2,170 from every firm that held client money (£1,950 last year); renewal runs from 1 to 31 October 2026, and a firm with eight solicitors and £1.4 million of turnover pays £13,797 against £11,544 a year earlier.
Source: SRA "Fee policy 2026/27" (dated 1 September 2026) and "Fee policy 2025/26" (updated 30 September 2025); SRA mySRA updates "Practising certificate renewals (2026/27)", "Bulk renewing your practising certificates (2026/27)" and "Renewing your own practising certificate or registration (2026/27)" (all dated 21 September 2026); all read on sra.org.uk in a browser on 2026-10-01. The worked totals are our arithmetic on the SRA's figures.
AEO Lookup editorial team
We write practical guides for people who run small UK firms, and we check every fact against its source on the date shown. Read how we review, or tell us if something has changed.