Background

ICAEW is approved by the Legal Services Board to accredit firms to provide probate and estate administration services.

ICAEW acts in the public interest by striving to ensure ICAEW probate practitioners and ICAEW-regulated firms act with integrity and undertake work in accordance with laws and regulations. This strategy reflects our commitment to understand and meet the needs of consumers of probate services in line with the Legal Services Board’s statement of policy on empowering consumers.

Our strategy

Promoting consumer choice and confidence is at the heart of what we do as a regulator and hence we enable ICAEW accountancy firms to provide wider services that meet the needs of consumers. We are committed to engaging with consumers to understand their needs and to provide them with the information they need to make informed decisions about ICAEW legal service providers and to help them engage effectively with the probate market. This engagement includes:

• holding public consultations on potential changes to policies and regulations that impact the delivery of services from legal service firms. These allow consumers, and groups representing consumers, to give us their views on how the changes are likely to impact consumer interests. See our consultations page for further details;
• providing opportunities for consumers to raise complaints or give other feedback to us about ICAEW probate firms using the resources on our Probate Consumer Hub;
• engaging proactively with consumer groups such as the Legal Services Consumer Panel to gain insights on the issues facing legal services’ consumers;
• engaging in collaborative research activities that improve our understanding of consumer interests and the needs of vulnerable groups;
• seeking consumer feedback on the information and guidance that ICAEW makes available for consumers, to assess whether it is helpful and clear;
• providing an online, searchable register  where consumers can find the details of all ICAEW probate firms and check their disciplinary history. This provides assurance that a firm is regulated and operates to expected standards; and
• providing information and guidance to help consumers make informed decisions about legal services, including:
  • a dedicated Probate Consumer Hub  with information for consumers of probate services;
  • guides for consumers that explain the probate process; and
  • a range of guidance and information available on the Legal Choices website relating to regulated legal advisers, such as ICAEW.