About us

Co-op Legal Services has over 800 staff working in different businesses with offices in Manchester, Bristol, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Sheffield

We are the largest provider of probate and estate administration services in England and Wales, trusted to deal with over £3 billion in estates annually.

As part of the Co-op Group our values of openness, honesty, social responsibility and caring for others are core to the service we provide.

We offer expert legal advice without jargon for a wide range of consumer legal services to members of the Co-op Group and to the general public.

Once we have provided you with a written quote for the agreed work to be done, that price will not change.

At Co-op Legal Services, we provide services in England and Wales. So that we can provide legal services UK-wide, we have partnered with Brodies LLP in Scotland and Wilson Nesbitt in Northern Ireland. These partners have been carefully selected to help us provide quality legal services to Co-op Members and customers across the whole of the UK.

Our legal services

Unlike many other law firms and businesses, we only provide legal services to private individuals. This removes any potential conflict that may exist between providing legal services to individuals and large corporate businesses at the same time.

It also enables us to concentrate on developing highly efficient systems and processes which, backed by experienced legal teams, ensures that each client receives the very best customer service and achievable outcome.

Authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

The Co-operative Legal Services and Co-op Legal Services are trading names for Co-operative Legal Services Limited. Company Number 05671209. Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under registration number 567391.

Please note that different regulatory bodies exist in jurisdictions outside of England and Wales, meaning that there may be some differences in the regulatory protections available to you from our partners.

Regulated services

As a regulated business, we must adhere to the SRA guidelines and always act in the best interests of our customers.

This includes:

  • A personalised service - as a regulated provider we must offer a bespoke service that meets the customer’s needs
  • Full legal protection - we have professional indemnity insurance covering testators and beneficiaries to £15m
  • High standards of advice - as a regulated provider, we must ensure our advice meets set criteria on personalisation, suitability and challenging customer assumptions (this also meets FCA requirements)
  • Reduced litigation risk - our regulated service includes professionally drafted documents and assessment of the customer’s capacity, identification and intention, which is recorded
  • Complaint management - if we’re unable to resolve a customer complaint, as a regulated business, customers are able to seek redress from the Legal Ombudsman
  • Regulated services throughout the UK - our partners in Scotland and Northern Ireland are also regulated

Our approach

Our aim is to offer accessible legal advice and support without the jargon and with no hidden costs. Many law firms don’t show their fees or show costs on their websites or quote prices without VAT. We believe this is potentially misleading which is why you will find many of our fixed fee services quote the cost with and without VAT. This way you know exactly what the price is.

We also believe that you should be able to arrange to talk to a solicitor at a time and place to suit you. This is why we don’t make you travel to meet your legal advisor, and why we provide our legal services directly over the phone, by e-mail and post.

Professional yet personable, our specialist solicitors and legal advisors take a different approach, one where you choose the exact level of legal advice and support that you need at every stage.

Plus we’ll make sure everything is explained in clear, simple terms, avoiding legal jargon wherever possible to help you better understand your legal situation and how we’re helping you.

Clear pricing

At Co-op Legal Services we believe everyone should have easy access to quality legal services at a price they can afford. With this central to our belief, we offer a range of pricing options, including fixed price legal services and hourly rate services. This transparency means you can select the service and pricing option that's right for you.

We want to make sure you’re happy with the cost before we start any work, so we will always provide a written quote for the agreed work to be done. That price will not change.

Being upfront and transparent about our legal fees means there are no nasty surprises and you stay in control of costs.

Key facts

Co-op Legal Services was established in 2006, initially to provide legal services to all Co-op Members. Since then it has grown its range of services and now provides a complete range of private client legal services to both Co-op Members and the general public.

Co-op Legal Services history

  • 2006 company founded to provide personal injury and legal advice services to Co-op Members
  • 2007 wills, probate and conveyancing services were introduced and offered to Co-op Members
  • 2012 became the first Alternative Business Structure (ABS), under the 2007 Legal Services Act
  • 2014 established market-leading position for probate
  • 2022 named Best Estate Administration & Probate Services Provider in the CFI.co Awards for the fourth year running (see our other awards and accreditations)

Co-op Legal Services facts and figures

  • Part of the Co-op Group, the UK’s largest mutual business, which is owned by millions of UK consumers.
  • Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority
  • Based in four locations: Manchester, Bristol, Statford-upon-Avon and Sheffield
  • Employs more than 800 staff
  • Receives 100,000+ calls a year from members and consumers looking for legal advice and support
  • Market leader in probate and estate administration and one of the leading will writing businesses in England and Wales

Part of the Co-op Group

Co-op Legal Services is part of the Co-op Group which is the UK’s largest mutual business, owned by millions of UK consumers. The Co-op Group was established in 1844 and today, as well as having clear financial and operational objectives, it is a recognised leader for its social goals and community-led programmes.

Although a completely separate business, with its own Executive Management Team, Co-op Legal Services also forms part of the Co-op Group's Life Services division, along with Co-op Funeralcare and Co-op Insurance.

Our beliefs

As part of the Co-op Group, our overall aim is aligned with the Group's vision. Our ethos and culture of working in an ethical and responsible manner are very much based on traditional Co-operative values.

We also operate through a number of ethical values which are core to the service that we provide. These include:

  • Openness
  • Honesty
  • Social responsibility
  • Caring for others
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