Professional & Financial Services UK-wide

Comply with SRA Price Transparency Rules

Publish pricing information for specified legal services as required by the SRA Transparency Rules. Covers which services are in scope, what must be disclosed, format and website requirements, and how to monitor and update your published information.

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Since December 2018, the SRA has required law firms in England and Wales to publish pricing information for certain legal services. These are known as the SRA Transparency Rules and form part of the SRA Standards and Regulations. The aim is to help consumers compare costs before instructing a solicitor.

If your firm offers any of the services covered by the rules, you must publish specific pricing and service information on your website. Failure to do so is a breach of the SRA Transparency Rules and may lead to regulatory action.

When this applies

The transparency rules apply to your firm if you provide any of the following services to individuals or businesses:

  • Residential conveyancing (buying and selling residential property)
  • Probate (uncontested applications for a grant of probate or letters of administration)
  • Motoring offences (summary motoring offences)
  • Employment tribunal claims (bringing unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal claims for individuals, and defending such claims for businesses)
  • Immigration (preparation and submission of immigration applications excluding asylum, and advice and representation at First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) appeals against Home Office visa or immigration decisions, excluding asylum appeals)
  • Debt recovery (up to GBP 100,000)
  • Licensing applications (premises licences under the Licensing Act 2003)

Even if you only carry out one of these services occasionally, the rules still apply. If you do not offer any of them, the transparency rules do not require you to publish pricing, though the SRA encourages voluntary disclosure.

What you must publish

For each service in scope, your website must include the following information:

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    1. Determine your pricing basis

    For each service in scope, decide whether you will publish a fixed fee, a fee range, an hourly rate, or a combination. The SRA does not mandate a particular pricing model, but whatever model you use, it must give consumers enough information to understand the likely overall cost. If you use hourly rates, state the rate for each grade of fee earner who may work on the matter.

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    2. Identify disbursements and third-party costs

    List all disbursements the client is likely to incur, such as Land Registry fees, search fees, court fees, or barrister's fees. Where possible, give the actual amount. Where costs vary, give a typical range and explain what causes variation. Do not hide costs in vague terms like 'plus disbursements'.

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    3. State the VAT position clearly

    Make clear whether your fees include or exclude VAT. State the current VAT rate. If any disbursements are also subject to VAT, say so.

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    4. Describe the service and key stages

    Provide a description of the service that is clear enough for a consumer who has never instructed a solicitor. Break the service into key stages so the client understands what is included and what happens at each stage. This also helps manage expectations about timescales.

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    5. Provide a typical timescale

    Give an estimated timescale for the service from instruction to completion. Where timescales vary significantly (for example, residential conveyancing can range from 8 to 16 weeks depending on the chain), state the range and explain the main factors that affect timing.

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    6. Name the people who will carry out the work

    State the qualifications and experience of the people who will handle the matter. You can name specific individuals or describe them by role and post-qualification experience level. This helps consumers assess the expertise they are paying for.

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    7. Publish on your website

    Place the pricing information in a prominent place on your firm's website where it is easy to find. Use clear, plain English. Avoid legal jargon. If your firm does not have a website, contact the SRA for guidance on alternative publication methods.

Format requirements

The SRA does not prescribe a specific format, but the information must be:

  • Easy to find: In a prominent place on your website, for example via a clearly labelled section such as "Fees" or "Pricing"
  • Clear and accurate: Written in plain English without legal jargon that a member of the public would not understand
  • Complete: Covering all the required elements (price, disbursements, VAT, service description, timescale, people)
  • Up to date: Reflecting current fees and rates, not historic prices

You may publish the information as a dedicated page per service, a comparison table, a downloadable PDF, or any other format that meets these criteria. Many firms find that a dedicated "Our fees" section with sub-pages per service area works well.

Monitoring and updating

Publishing once and forgetting is a common compliance failure. Build a review process into your firm's calendar:

  • Review published pricing at least every six months, or whenever you change your fee rates
  • Update disbursement figures when external costs change (for example, when Land Registry fees are revised)
  • Check that named fee earners are still at the firm and that their descriptions remain accurate
  • Review the SRA website periodically for updates to the list of services in scope (the SRA has indicated it may expand the list)
  • Ask your COLP to include transparency compliance in the firm's periodic compliance reviews

What next

Once your pricing information is published:

  • Inform all fee earners in affected practice areas so they can direct clients to the published information
  • Update your client care letters to reference the published pricing page
  • Consider publishing pricing information for services beyond the mandatory list, as a competitive and client-service measure
  • Check that your complaints procedure and regulatory information are also published on your website, as required by separate provisions of the Code of Conduct for Firms
Penalty risk
Penalty:
Failure to comply with the SRA Transparency Rules is a breach of the SRA's regulatory arrangements. The obligations are set out in the SRA Transparency Rules 2018 (rule 1 covers costs information, rule 2.1 complaints information, and rule 4 the digital badge). The SRA has conducted thematic reviews of transparency compliance and has taken action against firms that fail to publish the required information or publish information that is misleading. Sanctions range from a written rebuke to a fine or conditions on the firm's authorisation. In the SRA's view, non-compliance also undermines public trust in the legal profession.

Official guidance and legislation