UK Law Guides

Flat illustration of a client holding a folder marked YOUR CASE outside a law firm's building, which is cut away to show three floors with one person working on each, beside a wall clock over a plaque reading PER HOUR and a street-level plaque reading FEE EARNERS.

Solicitor Hourly Rates in the UK: The Official Figure for Your Area, and Why Your Bill Can Be Higher

The courts publish a guideline hourly rate for every part of England and Wales. Find yours, see what it means for your bill, and why a firm can charge more.

October 2, 2026 · 17 min read

A worker standing on a tall block passes a large card labelled SHARE CODE along a plank to an employer standing on a lower block beside a desk and screen. Plaques on the fronts of the two blocks read WORKER and EMPLOYER.

Right to Work Share Code: How to Get Yours, What Your Employer Sees, and What to Do If You Cannot Get One

Your share code stops working after 90 days. Here is how to get one, what your employer sees, and who can use the service.

September 29, 2026 · 14 min read

Flat illustration of a tenant standing inside their home holding a notice, with the landlord outside the closed front door holding an identical notice. Short labels read NOTICE SERVED, NAME THE GROUND and ONLY A COURT.

How Much Notice Your Landlord Must Give You in England, Now That Section 21 Has Gone

Section 21 has gone, so the reason your landlord gives now sets your notice: four months, four weeks or two weeks. Plus the twelve month rule, explained.

September 25, 2026 · 15 min read

Flat vector illustration split corner to corner by one diagonal band. In the upper left a woman presses a sealed envelope marked SENT onto a small table; an identical envelope sits on the band itself; in the lower right the same envelope, marked DELIVERED, lies on a doormat beside a panelled door with a letter slot, under a blank-faced wall clock marked REPLY DUE.

Letter Before Action: How Long You Must Give Them, and Why 14 Days Can Be the Wrong Answer

Fourteen days is the usual answer, but other rules can apply. Which rules govern your dispute, the deadline each one sets, and what your letter must say.

September 22, 2026 · 16 min read

Flat illustration of a parent holding a folded form marked C100, standing on a path towards a large doorway. A small round meeting table marked MIAM blocks the opening, and a smaller doorway with a shield marked COURT stands further back.

Child Arrangements Order: What It Costs in England and Wales, and When You Need a Mediator First

The court fee for a child arrangements order is £270. See when Help with Fees can clear it, how legal aid works, and whether you need a MIAM first.

September 18, 2026 · 17 min read

Flat vector illustration of a buyer standing in the centre of the frame holding a folded document, with a tall stepped column labelled SOLICITOR to their left and a broad rounded plinth labelled CONVEYANCER to their right, a matching key resting at the foot of each, and a small house floating above under the words WHICH ONE.

Conveyancer or Solicitor: What Each Can Legally Do, and When You Must Switch

In England and Wales you can use either, but a CLC practice must stop once a court application becomes likely. Scotland and Northern Ireland work differently.

September 15, 2026 · 16 min read

Overhead view of a table with a blank signature form lying at its centre, three empty signature boxes down the page, a pen beside it, and three different chairs around the table edge labelled donor, certificate provider and attorney.

Do You Need a Solicitor for a Lasting Power of Attorney? The £92 Route Is Real, and Here Is What Voids It

You can make an LPA yourself for £92. Here is what a solicitor is really paid for, who is barred from certifying yours, and what a mistake actually costs.

September 11, 2026 · 16 min read

Flat vector illustration of a person standing front-on at a bank counter holding a folded letter, labelled ASK IN WRITING, with a closed shutter and a blank plaque behind the counter labelled NO SET LIMIT, and a locked strongbox standing to the right labelled SOLE ACCOUNT.

Bank Probate Limits: There Is No General Legal Threshold, and Only One Bank We Checked Publishes a Figure

There is no general legal probate threshold for an ordinary bank account. We checked five institutions and only Barclays publishes a figure. Here is how to get yours in writing.

September 8, 2026 · 15 min read

Flat illustration of a woman holding a letter and pointing to a three-armed signpost reading COMPLAIN FIRST, OMBUDSMAN and PUT RIGHT, with three different buildings and a clock standing further along the ground line.

How to Complain About a Solicitor: What Changes Between England, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Complain to the firm first, then the right body for your nation. You get a year in England and Wales, three years in Scotland, six months in NI.

September 4, 2026 · 13 min read

Flat illustration of a divorced couple standing back to back at opposite edges of the frame. Between them an upper band labelled FINAL ORDER is cut clean through, a seal disc resting on one squared end. Below it an unbroken band labelled STILL OPEN runs the full width, carrying a small house and a coin. A pair of open shears labelled CLEAN BREAK lies on the ground beneath, blades pointing up at the unbroken band but not touching it.

Do You Need a Financial Order After Divorce? The Final Order Ends the Marriage, Not the Money

Your final order ends the marriage, not the money. About two in three couples leave divorce without a court order. See what a consent order costs and when to apply.

September 1, 2026 · 15 min read

Flat illustration of an employee seated with a blank ruled agreement while an independent adviser stands across a desk holding a coin, with a dotted arc travelling from an office building labelled employer pays to the adviser's raised hand, showing that the employer funds the advice while the adviser acts for the employee.

Settlement Agreement Solicitor Fees: Who Really Pays, and Why the Payment Route Matters for Tax

Employers usually pay towards settlement agreement solicitor fees, but they don't have to. What the contribution buys, and why the payment route matters for tax.

August 28, 2026 · 14 min read

Flat vector illustration of a woman stacking two income blocks, one carrying a small house and one a laptop, beside a tall gauge column whose single coral marker bar shows the qualifying income threshold.

Do I Need to Do Making Tax Digital? The Answer Is on Your Tax Return From Two Tax Years Back

Making Tax Digital applies if your combined self-employment and property turnover passed the threshold two tax years ago. Check the right return, the right date and what it costs.

August 25, 2026 · 13 min read