LSB survey finds higher prices, but availability of remote services offers greater choice

New research from the Legal Services Board (LSB) reveals the price of legal services is rising, but the transparency of the prices offered is improving and consumers are benefitting from more services being made available remotely. 

The Prices of Individual Legal Services in England and Wales looks at five commonly used legal services: conveyancing, divorce, power of attorney, applying for probate, and estate administration.

Feedback from more than 1500 providers across England and Wales revealed that prices have generally risen, which the LSB attributes primarily to inflation, and price ranges have increased. The shift in price is due to the larger regional range of the firms surveyed, the LSB said – see the average price tables below.

Price transparency has significantly improved in conveyancing, where it is a mandatory requirement: 88% of conveyancers display prices on their websites, compared to 47% of providers offering divorce services and 62% offering wills, trusts, probate and estate administration services.

The research found that firms that display prices, especially those using fixed fees, tend to offer more predictable and sometimes lower pricing: the mean fixed price for a standard individual will is £150 less than the mean estimate price; for a joint application for divorce, the fixed price is £386 less; the fixed rate for the purchase of a leasehold property is on average £435 less than an estimated price.

Firms have become more likely to offer services remotely, making it easier for consumers to benefit from lower prices in outside their area. Conveyancing firms were most likely to offer remote services, at 72%, compared to 52% in 2020. In straightforward divorce cases, around 65–74% of providers said they offer services remotely, compared to 32% in 2020. More than half (57%) offered remote services for more complex divorces, up from 35% in 2020.

Less than half of those offering will writing services (42%) offered services remotely – however, that number is a significant jump from the 13% who agreed to work remotely in 2020. The number of people offering remote power of attorney services also increased, up to 38% from just 8% in 2020. Obtaining grant of probate was offered as a remote service by 45% of providers (up from 20%), with 37% offering remote estate administration services (up from 21%).

Conveyancers were most likely to share information about the experience and qualifications of legal professionals providing services, at 85%, followed by divorce service providers (80%) and firms offering services in wills, trusts, probate and estate administration (71%).

Samuel Omolade, head of strategy and research at the LSB, said the organisation will continue to push for greater price transparency across the sector and make it easier for consumers to shop around.

He added:

“The latest wave of our research into the prices of legal services reveals mixed results for consumers. The rise in prices is a concern, though the research demonstrates that there are opportunities for consumers to make informed choices – about accessing services remotely, for example, or how to understand pricing. This will help them to choose the service that’s right for them.”