Legal information

Lewis Golden LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC397232 and registered office at 40 Queen Anne Street, London W1G 9EL. Any reference to a partner in relation to Lewis Golden LLP is to a member of Lewis Golden LLP.

Lewis Golden LLP is registered to carry on audit work in the UK; regulated for a range of investment business activities; and licensed to carry out the reserved legal activity of non-contentious probate in England and Wales by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Provision of Services Regulations 2009

In accordance with the disclosure requirements of the Provision of Services Regulations 2009, our professional indemnity insurer is Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Plc, of St Mark’s Court, Chart Way, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 1XL. The territorial coverage is worldwide excluding professional business carried out from an office in the United States of America or Canada and excludes any action for a claim bought in any court in the United States of America or Canada. We may change our insurers from time to time and updated details are available on request.

We confirm that we are statutory auditors eligible to conduct audits under the Companies Act 2006 in the UK. Details of our audit registration can be viewed at www.auditregister.org.uk under reference number C004084524.

We confirm that we are licensed to carry out the reserved legal activity of non-contentious probate in England and Wales. Details can be viewed on the register of ICAEW Accredited Probate Firms at http://icaew.com/probate under reference number C004084524. The probate regulations can be accessed at http://icaew.com/regulations.

Details of our probate accreditation can be viewed at https://find.icaew.com/firms/london/lewis-golden-llp-bas/2uJdUB. Complaints can be made by contacting the firm’s Head of Legal Practice, Neil Edwards. If we do not answer your complaint to your satisfaction you may take up the matter with the ICAEW and/or the Legal Ombudsman https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/. The ICAEW have a legal compensation fund https://www.icaew.com/regulation/probate-services/information-for-consumers/probate-compensation-scheme-arrangements.

Our fees are based on the complexity of the matter and the seniority of our team members who are performing the work, we will provide an estimate of our costs before starting work and update you as the matter progresses. The scope of work, responsibilities and our charge rates are detailed in our Letter of Engagement and Terms of Business. The firm’s charge rates range from £50 to £850 per hour.

A description of the services we provide can be found on the Probate and Estates page of our website, and the timescales can vary from a few months to more than a year, depending on the available records, location and type of assets.

Legal Services Act 2007
We are licensed to provide probate services, a reserved legal activity. The Legal Services Act 2007 includes an objective to ‘encourage a strong, independent, diverse and effective legal profession’ and we are therefore required to publish information about our workforce. A survey was circulated to all partners and employees in March 2025, it was completed by 83.33% of recipients, and the results are as follows:

About you: Role at the firm
ICAEW Chartered Accountant: 46.97%
Other accountant: 10.61%
Direct support staff: 13.64%
Other profession: 15.15%
Other chartered accountant: 12.12%
Other: 1.52%

Age category
16-24: 18.33%
25-34: 35.00%
35-44: 11.67%
45-54: 21.67%
55-64: 8.33%
65+: 3.33%
Prefer not to say: 1.67%

Gender:  What is your registered sex at birth?
Male: 50.00%
Female: 50.00%

Gender:  Which gender do you identify with?
A woman: 50.00%
A man: 48.33%
Prefer not to say: 1.67%

Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth?
Yes: 100.00%

Disability: Do you consider yourself to have a disability according to the definition in the Equality Act?
Yes: 1.67%
No: 96.67%
Prefer not to say: 1.67%

Disability: Are your day to day activities limited because of a health problem or disability which has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months?
Yes: 13.46% (a little)
No: 82.69%
Prefer not to say: 3.85%

Disability: If the answer was yes to either of the above, what type?
Mental Health: 27.27%
Other: 27.27%
Mobility: 18.18%
Cognitive / learning: 9.09%
Physical strength: 9.09%
Sensory: 9.09%

Ethnic group
White: 78.33%
Asian/Asian British: 3.33%
Mixed/multiple ethnic background: 11.67%
Black/African/Caribbean/British: 1.67%
Other: 1.67%
Prefer not to say: 3.33%

Faith
No religion: 48.33%
Christian: 36.67%
Jewish: 3.33%
Any other: 3.33%
Prefer not to say:  8.33%

Sexual Orientation
Heterosexual: 85.00%
LGB: 6.67%
Prefer not to say: 8.33%

Socio-economic background: If you went to university (to study a BA, BSc course or higher), were you part of the first generation of your family to do so?
Yes: 40.00%
No: 38.33%
Did not attend: 18.33%
Prefer not to say: 3.33%

Socio-economic background: What type of secondary school did you mainly attend?
State run/funded: 48.33%
Independent or fee-paying: 21.67%
Selective on academic, faith or other grounds: 21.67%
Outside of British Isles: 6.67%
Unsure: 1.67%

Social mobility: What was the highest level of qualification achieved by your parents/guardians by the time you were 18?
Degree: 38.33%
A Level or Vocational qualification: 25.00%
Below A Level or Vocational: 18.33%
Don’t know: 8.33%
No formal qualifications: 6.67%
Other: 1.67%
Prefer not to say: 1.67%

Social mobility: Which one of these is your highest level of qualification or, as a qualified accountant, held prior to becoming qualified?
Degree level: 81.03%
A Level or vocational qualification: 13.79%
Below A Level: 1.72%
No formal qualifications: 1.72%
Other: 1.72%

Social mobility: did your household receive income support while you were at school?
Yes: 11.67%
No: 70.00%
I don’t know: 16.67%
Prefer not to say: 1.67%

Social mobility: were you entitled to free school meals?
Yes: 8.33%
No: 80.00%
I don’t know: 10.00%
Prefer not to say: 1.67%

Social mobility:  What professional did the main earner in the house hold when you were 14?
Modern professional occupations such as: teacher/lecturer, nurse, physiotherapist, social worker, welfare officer, artist, musician, police officer (sergeant or above), software designer: 10.00%
Clerical and intermediate occupations such as: secretary, personal assistant, clerical worker, office clerk, call centre agent, nursing auxiliary, nursery nurse: 11.67%
Senior managers and administrators usually responsible for planning, organising and co-ordinating work and for finance such as: finance manager, chief executive: 25.00%
Technical and craft occupations such as: motor mechanic, fitter, inspector, plumber, printer, tool maker, electrician, gardener, train driver: 16.67%
Semi-routine manual and service occupations such as: postal worker, machine operative, security guard, caretaker, farm worker, catering assistant, receptionist, sales assistant: 3.33%
Routine manual and service occupations such as: HGV driver, van driver, cleaner, porter, packer, sewing machinist, messenger, labourer, waiter / waitress, bar staff: 6.67%
Middle or junior managers such as: office manager, retail manager, bank manager, restaurant manager, warehouse manager, publican: 5.00%
Traditional professional occupations such as: accountant, solicitor, medical practitioner, scientist, civil/mechanical engineer: 15.00%
Inactive (excluding those that are retired): 1.67%
Don’t know: 1.67%
Other: 1.67%
Prefer not to say: 1.67%

Caring responsibilities: are you a primary carer for a child under 18?
Yes: 23.33%
No: 75.00%
Prefer not to say: 1.67%

Caring responsibilities: Do you look after, or give any help or support to family members, friends, neighbours or others because of either: Long term physical or mental ill-health / disability or Problems related to old-age?
No: 78.33%
Yes, 1-19 hours a week: 20.00%
Prefer not to say: 1.67%

Relationships: What is your marital or civil partnership status?
Single: 58.33%
Married: 31.67%
Separated: 1.67%
Divorced: 1.67%
Widowed or surviving partner: 1.67%
Prefer not to say: 5.00%

Relationships: Have you taken maternity or paternity leave in the last 5 years?
Yes: 5.00%
No: 91.67%
Prefer not to say: 3.33%

Relationships: If yes: Did you return to the same employer after the leave?
Yes: 50.00%
No: 16.67%
Prefer not to say: 33.33%

Relationships: If yes; Did your employer allow you to take time off with full pay for ante-natal appointments?
Yes: 28.57%
No: 42.86%
Prefer not to say: 28.57%

Relationships: If yes; Did your employer offer you flexible working arrangements when you returned?
Yes: 57.14%
No: 14.29%
Prefer not to say: 28.57%

Relationships: If yes; Has the ability to work from home been an important aid in your return to work?
Yes: 50.00%
No: 16.67%
Prefer not to say: 33.33%

Neurodiversity: Do you consider yourself to be neurodivergent?
Yes: 18.33%
No: 76.67%
Prefer not to say: 5%

Neurodiversity: If yes, have you shared information about your neurodivergence with your employer?
Yes: 5.88%
No: 94.12%

Note: All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places and as a result the total of the figures in each category might not equal exactly 100%.

The survey was issued to all partners and employees in March 2025 and the results downloaded from the platform. All staff were informed about the reason for the survey, and how the data is collected, processed and published, to reassure them that their anonymity will be preserved.

The data indicates that the respondents are equally split between male and female (50% / 50%), and all identify with their sex recorded at birth. The majority of respondents (85%) identified as heterosexual/straight.

The age range of employees remains broad, with the largest proportion being between the ages of 25-34 (35%) and nearly two-thirds of all respondents aged under 45. This is consistent with our status as a training firm for accountants and tax advisers. It also accounts for a significant majority having achieved a university degree or above (81.03%), with 40% of respondents being part of the first generation in their family to study at university.

Most respondents identify as white (78.33%) or from a mixed/multiple ethnic background (11.67%). Smaller percentages identify as Asian, Black, or other ethnic groups.

Over 45% of those who did not “prefer not to say” when answering the faith question have no religion, with those who do have a religion spread over three categories, mostly Christian.  

The survey also shows that a very small number (1.67%) identify as having a disability, although a larger proportion of respondents (18.33%) consider themselves to be neurodivergent.

The majority of respondents (70%) come from households that did not receive income support and a larger proportion (80%) were not entitled to free school meals.

The firm understands and takes seriously its responsibilities regarding equality, diversity and inclusion.