Methodology
How we calculate UK solicitor costs
Every fee range on this site is traceable to a UK public source. Last full review: May 2026. Below is the full source list, our calculation framework, and how to challenge a figure.
Primary sources
These are the eleven UK sources we cite, what each is used for, and where to verify them yourself:
All hourly-rate figures by region and grade (London 1, London 2, London 3, National 1, National 2). Last revised by the Civil Justice Council with effect from January 2024 and re-confirmed for 2026.
Civil court issue fees, divorce application fees (£593), money claim fees, probate application fees (£300, free under £5,000), and employment tribunal fee position (no claim fee post-Unison 2017).
Gross income limits (£2,657/month), disposable income limits (£733/month), capital limits (£8,000 standard / £100,000 housing-equity disregards), and passporting benefits.
Conveyancing disbursements: scale 1 registration fees (£20 to £1,105 by property value band), title register copies (£3), official searches, and electronic-application discounts.
LPA registration fee (£82 per LPA, £164 for both health-and-welfare and property-and-finance combined), fee reductions and exemptions for low income or means-tested benefits.
Stamp Duty Land Tax bands and rates used in the conveyancing-cost worked examples. Nil-rate £0 to £250,000, 5% to £925,000, 10% to £1.5m, 12% above. First-time buyer relief to £425,000. Additional 3% surcharge for second properties.
Inheritance tax nil-rate band (£325,000), residence nil-rate band (£175,000), spousal exemption, and probate application fees referenced in the probate guidance.
Private-market rate context where the published Guideline Hourly Rates significantly understate City of London or commercial-firm pricing. Used as supplementary citation, not primary cost data.
Public register of all SRA-regulated solicitors. Referenced as the canonical way to verify a solicitor and find local providers. We take no fee for referrals from this directory.
Mandatory early conciliation process for employment claims, helpline numbers, and free guidance referenced on the employment-cost pages.
Cross-reference for consumer-facing UK legal cost ranges, particularly divorce and probate.
How a fee range is constructed
A typical solicitor invoice is solicitor time (hours × hourly rate × 1.20 for VAT) plus disbursements (gov-set third-party fees with their own VAT rules). On SolicitorCost.com:
- Hourly rate is taken from the 2026 Civil Justice Council Guideline Hourly Rates for the relevant region and grade. We use the published figures, not market rates, except where market rates differ substantially and we note that explicitly (City of London commercial work in particular).
- Typical solicitor time is drawn from published Law Society survey averages and from common-form quotes published by transparent firms (Co-op Legal Services, Stowe Family Law, Slater and Gordon). We do not invent "typical hours" figures.
- Disbursements are taken at face value from gov.uk fee schedules at the date in the LAST_VERIFIED stamp.
- VAT (20%) is applied to solicitor time. Court fees, Land Registry fees, and other statutory disbursements do not attract VAT. Local-authority searches and similar private services typically do.
- Fee range is presented low to high. Low = National 2 band, Grade C solicitor, minimum typical hours. High = London 1 band, Grade A solicitor, complex-end typical hours.
Update cadence
We re-verify every figure on this site quarterly. We also re-verify on any of these triggers, whenever they occur:
- HMCTS publishes a Fees Order amendment (any UK court fee change).
- The Civil Justice Council revises the Guideline Hourly Rates.
- The Legal Aid Agency revises the means-test thresholds.
- HM Land Registry revises its fee schedule.
- HMRC revises SDLT thresholds or IHT bands.
- The Office of the Public Guardian revises LPA registration fees.
The current LAST_VERIFIED stamp is May 2026. It is set from a single constant (src/lib/site.ts) so every page on the site flips together when we re-verify. There is no per-page drift between "Updated" stamps.
What we will not do
- Take referral fees from solicitors or law firms.
- Run lead-capture forms or "get a quote in 60 seconds" widgets.
- Cite a fee figure we cannot link to a published source.
- Use private-market price ranges without distinguishing them from the published guideline rates.
- Recommend specific law firms by name in editorial copy.
- Provide legal advice. We provide cost information drawn from public sources.
How to challenge a figure
If you find a number on this site that you believe conflicts with a current UK public source, email [email protected] with the page URL, the figure in question, and the source URL that contradicts it. Source-backed corrections are applied on the next quarterly refresh, or sooner where the discrepancy is large enough to mislead a reader.
We do not entertain "your number is too low / too high" complaints from firms unless accompanied by published data. Private-firm quote ranges that are higher than the GHR are noted in the relevant page, not adopted as the canonical figure.
Disclosure
SolicitorCost.com is a wholly-owned Digital Signet property. Digital Signet is run by Oliver Wakefield-Smith, who is the author of all content on this site. The site has no advertising, no affiliate links to law firms, and no paid placements. The only external commercial links are to other Digital Signet cost guides on adjacent topics.
Read the about page for the editorial framework and contact details.