Should you use a probate solicitor?

Last reviewed 18 August 2026

The question is not whether an estate is large, but whether it is simple — for it is complexity, not value, that decides whether a solicitor earns their fee.

When to do it yourself

If the estate is straightforward — a will, no business, no trusts, no foreign property, no likely dispute, and tax either clearly due or clearly not — most executors can handle it themselves, paying only the £526 fee. The work is real but not difficult, and doing it yourself can save thousands.

When to instruct a solicitor

Instruct a solicitor where the affairs are genuinely complex: a business or agricultural assets, trusts in the will, property abroad, an insolvent estate, a likely Inheritance Act claim or contested will, or intricate inheritance tax. You can also instruct one for the difficult parts only, and do the routine work yourself — often the best value of all.

Sources. GOV.UK, Applying for probate; general guidance on when professional help is warranted.