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,  Alex Parker. 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 2021, it was completed by 78.6% of recipients, and the results are as follows:

About you: Role at the firm

ICAEW Chartered Accountant:  50.1%
Other accountant:  15%
Direct support staff:  14.7%
Other profession:  8.2%
Other chartered accountant:  4.9%
Legally qualified:  3.3%
Other:  3.3% 

Age category

16-24:  27.27%
25-34:  21.82%
35-44:  10.91%
45-54:  21.82%
55-64:  12.73%
65+:  1.82%
Prefer not to say:  3.64%

Gender identified with

Male:  60.0%
Female:  40.0%

Does that differ from assigned birth gender?

Yes:  23.53%
No:  76.47%

Disability: Do you consider yourself to have a disability?

Yes:  5.4%
No:  92.7%
Prefer not to say:  1.8%

Disability: Are your day to day activities limited because of a disability?

Yes:  3.6% (a little)
No:  94.5%
Prefer not to say:  1.8%

Disability: If the answer was yes to either of the above, what type?

Mental health  2.4%
Cognitive/learning  1.2%

Ethnic group

White:  83.6%
Asian/Asian British:  9.1%
Mixed/multiple ethnic background:  5.4%
Prefer not to say:  1.8%

Faith

No religion:  49.1%
Christian:  31.0%
Jewish:  9.1%
Hindu:  3.6%
Muslim:  1.8%
Sikh:  1.8%
Prefer not to say:  3.6%

Sexual Orientation

Heterosexual:  90.1%
LGBTQ+:  5.4%
Other:   1.8
Prefer not to say:  1.8%

Socio-economic background: What type of secondary school did you mainly attend?

State run/funded:  49.1%
Independent or fee-paying:  30.9%
Selective on academic, faith or other grounds:  12.7%
Outside of British Isles:  5.4%
Prefer not to say:  1.8%

Social mobility: What was the highest level of qualification achieved by your parents/guardians by the time you were 18?

Degree:  38.2%
A Level or Vocational qualification:  30.9%
Below A Level or Vocational:  18.2%
Don’t know:  5.4%
No formal qualifications:  5.4%
Prefer not to say:  1.8%

Social mobility: Which one of these is your highest level of qualification or, as a qualified accountant, held prior to becoming qualified?

Degree level:  67.3%
A Level or vocational qualification:  27.2%
Below A Level:  3.6%
Prefer not to say:  1.8%

Social mobility: did your household receive income support while you were at school?

Yes:  9.1%
No:  81.8%
I don’t know:  7.3%
Prefer not to say:  1.8%

Social mobility: did you receive free school meals?

Yes:  3.6%
No:  89.1%
I don’t know:  5.4%
Prefer not to say:  1.8%

Social mobility: What professional did the main earner in the house hold when you were 14?

Professional or vocational occupation:  10.9%
Clerical/intermediate:  9.1%
Senior managers and administrators:  20.0%
Technical and craft occupations:  12.7%
Semi-routine manual and service
occupations:  7.3%
Routine manual and service occupations:  5.4%
Middle or junior managers:  7.3%
Traditional professions:  16.4%
Inactive:  1.8%
N/A:  1.8%
Don’t know:  1.8%
Other:  3.6%
Prefer not to say:  1.8%

Caring responsibilities: are you a primary carer for a child under 18?

Yes:  12.7%
No:  85.4%
Prefer not to say:  1.8%

Relationships: What is your marital or civil partnership status?

Single:  54.6%
Married:  34.6%
Widowed: 3.6%
Separated:  1.8%
Divorced:  1.8%
Other:  1.8%
Prefer not to say:  1.8%

Relationships: Have you taken maternity or paternity leave in the last 5 years?

Yes:  5.4%
No:  94.5%

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