HOW TO HIRE · BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL

How to hire a wills and probate solicitor in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Anyone can write wills; probate work is reserved. Here is how to tell a regulated firm from an unregulated one and sign the will properly.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a wills and probate solicitor in five steps

  1. Decide: solicitor or will writerA regulated firm gives you the ombudsman and insurance; an unregulated will writer may give neither.
  2. Check the registerSRA for solicitors in England and Wales; ask any will writer which body, if any, regulates them.
  3. List assets, people and wishesProperty, savings, pensions, executors, guardians and gifts, before the first meeting.
  4. Sign it properlyIn front of two witnesses present together who are not beneficiaries.
  5. Keep probate separateApplying for probate and administering an estate are priced and regulated differently.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

The Solicitors Register

Under the Legal Services Act 2007 probate activities are reserved to authorised persons in England and Wales, while will writing is not. The SRA register shows whether a solicitor and firm are regulated.

Search the person and firm on the SRA register before you instruct them for wills and probate. sra.org.uk →

Will writers: no register applies

Because will writing is not reserved in England and Wales, an unregulated will writer can trade without a licence. The CMA's guide notes such writers offer no route to the Legal Ombudsman and may carry no insurance; some join voluntary bodies.

Ask whether the business is regulated, by whom, and what indemnity insurance it holds. gov.uk →

A valid will (Wills Act 1837)

Section 9 of the Wills Act 1837 sets the signing rules in England and Wales: the will must be written, signed by the person making it, and that signature made or acknowledged while two witnesses watch together.

Follow the signing instructions exactly; ask the firm to check the signed will. legislation.gov.uk →

Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules for wills and estates. Citizens Advice Scotland says the Law Society of Scotland does not regulate will-writing services there.

Use a solicitor regulated in the nation whose law applies. citizensadvice.org.uk →

VAT

Will writing and estate work are standard-rated, so a registered wills and probate solicitor adds 20% to the will fee, storage and estate administration. Registration becomes compulsory once a wills and probate firm has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the wills and probate solicitor's firm for the VAT number with the client care letter and for the fee and VAT shown separately. gov.uk →

“Is your wills and probate firm regulated, and by whom?”

A good answer: SRA or the Law Society for your nation, or an honest "we are unregulated" with the voluntary body named.

“What does the fee for my wills include, single or mirror?”

A good answer: Meeting, drafting, signing instructions, checking the signed will and storage.

“How must we sign the wills for them to be valid?”

A good answer: Clear instructions on two witnesses present together who are not beneficiaries.

“Will you store the original wills, and at what cost?”

A good answer: Storage terms in writing, and how your executors will find it.

“What would probate cost on top of the will?”

A good answer: A separate estimate for applying for probate and administering the estate.

“What insurance does the will writer hold?”

A good answer: Professional indemnity cover named.

“How do I change the will later?”

A good answer: The cost of a new will or a codicil.

Getting the quote right

  • Single or mirror wills, and any trust
  • Who actually attends to the will and the signing: the wills and probate solicitor named, a supervised colleague, or a subcontracted will writer
  • Signing guidance and checking of the signed will
  • Storage: one-off or yearly fee
  • Probate and estate administration priced separately
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% on the will or estate fee
  • Regulator or voluntary body, and insurance

Walk away if

  • Says they are a solicitor but cannot be found on a register
  • Upfront payment for probate before anyone has died
  • No signing instructions
  • Pressure to buy storage or trusts
  • Wants to be named executor with a large fee
  • No insurance and no regulator
LOW
£100
TYPICAL
£240
HIGH
£1,500

What a wills and probate solicitor costs: £100–£1,500 per service

Wills are usually fixed fees per will or pair; probate and estate administration are quoted separately, fixed or hourly. Wills & Probate price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Wills and probate solicitors near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. InstructionsFamily, assets and wishes discussed.
  2. DraftExecutors, guardians, gifts and the residue written up.
  3. ReviewYou read and approve the draft.
  4. SigningSigned before two witnesses present together.
  5. StorageThe original stored and a copy kept.

Executor
The person who deals with the estate after death.
Probate
The legal right to deal with someone's estate.
Mirror wills
Matching wills for a couple.
Residue
What is left after gifts, debts and costs.
Codicil
A document that changes an existing will.
Reserved legal activity
Work only authorised persons may do in England and Wales.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the original safeAnd tell your executors where it is.
Check the signed willTwo witnesses, dates, and no beneficiary as witness.
Review after big changesMarriage, divorce, children or moving nation can affect a will.
Share how it wentRate the wills and probate solicitor on the things that mattered to you: the result, the communication, the price. Anything wrong goes through make-it-right before the review is published.

STEP 1Put it to the wills and probate solicitor in writingExplain to the wills and probate solicitor, in writing, which part of the job fell short and what you want done. If the work lacked reasonable care and skill, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 lets you ask for it to be put right at no extra cost, or for money back.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyBelow four stars, Locufy asks if the wills and probate solicitor should be told first and given a chance. We follow it up; your review goes live once it has run its course.
STEP 3Ombudsman or voluntary bodyA regulated firm in England and Wales: the Legal Ombudsman once the firm has replied. An unregulated will writer: its voluntary body, if any, or Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133. Scotland: the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission. Northern Ireland: the Law Society of Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Go to small claimsIf the wills and probate solicitor still will not refund or fix it, the small claims routes need no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a wills and probate solicitor: questions people ask

Not in England and Wales: will writing is not reserved, so anyone may offer it. Probate activities are reserved to authorised persons.

In England and Wales: in writing, signed by you, with the signature made before two witnesses present at the same time.

A regulated firm gives you the Legal Ombudsman and compulsory insurance; an unregulated writer may give neither.

The range is £100–£1,500 per service, and £240 is a typical figure. Single or mirror wills, trusts, complex assets and storage move the price; probate is priced separately. The wills and probate solicitor price guide covers what changes it; enter your town above to compare local wills and probate solicitors.

Yes. Scotland has its own rules for wills and estates; use a Scottish solicitor.

A simple will takes one to two weeks; probate and estate administration take months.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in business & professional

How to hire: SolicitorHow to hire: Conveyancing SolicitorHow to hire: Family Law SolicitorHow to hire: Financial AdvisorHow to hire: Notary PublicHow to hire: ParalegalHow to hire: Tax AdvisorHow to hire: AccountantAll 701 hiring guides →

Wills and probate solicitors near you

Wills and probate solicitors in LondonWills and probate solicitors in ManchesterWills and probate solicitors in BirminghamWills and probate solicitors in GlasgowWills and probate solicitors in BelfastAll wills and probate solicitors on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Legal Services Act 2007, section 12 — reserved legal activities
  2. gov.uk (CMA) — what to consider when buying will writing services
  3. Wills Act 1837, section 9 — signing and attestation
  4. SRA — the Solicitors Register
  5. Citizens Advice Scotland — wills
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  8. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  9. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  10. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register