Do I need a solicitor for an LPA?
No. A Lasting Power of Attorney does not need to be drafted, witnessed or checked by a solicitor to be valid. Most people who use one are paying for reassurance and for advice on judgement calls rather than for something the law demands.
Make your LPA online for £49
Answer simple questions. We prepare your LPA documents from your answers, ready for the next steps.
- £49 per LPA, or £79 for both types
- No solicitor required for straightforward LPAs
- Plain English questions, one screen at a time
- Save your progress and come back to it
- Checked for common completion errors as you go
- Review everything before you pay
The Office of the Public Guardian charges a separate £92 to register each LPA.
What people are really buying
| Concern | Does a solicitor solve it? |
|---|---|
| Will the form be completed correctly? | Partly — but so does a checked online service |
| Have I chosen the right attorneys? | Yes, this is genuine advice |
| Is the donor's capacity in doubt? | Yes, and worth every penny |
| Will the OPG accept it? | No advantage — the OPG applies the same rules |
| Is it valid? | No advantage — validity comes from the form and signatures |
The cost of each answer
| Route | Preparation cost | Who is accountable for errors |
|---|---|---|
| Entirely DIY | £0 | You |
| Guided online (us) | £49 one, £79 both | You, with common errors flagged for you |
| Solicitor | £300-£800+ per LPA | The solicitor, under professional indemnity insurance |
A reasonable rule of thumb
If you can name your attorneys without hesitation, everyone gets on, and your affairs are a home, a pension and some savings, you do not need a solicitor. If any of those is untrue, get advice. For most people in the first group, a guided service like ours closes the gap between free and expensive without losing the checking that catches the errors that actually matter.
Questions to ask yourself
- Would anyone in the family contest who I have chosen as attorney?
- Do I own anything that is not simply a home, savings or a pension?
- Has anyone raised a question about my (or my relative's) memory or decision-making recently?
- Do I want the LPA to say anything unusual, beyond the standard preferences and instructions wording?
Answer yes to any of these?
See a solicitor. If the honest answer to all four is no, our choose your LPA check and £49 service are built for exactly your situation.
Signing order applies whoever prepares it
Whether a solicitor, a guided service, or you alone prepare the LP1F or LP1H, the signing order set out in the form is fixed by law: donor, then certificate provider, then attorneys, then the person applying to register. No provider can change or shortcut this sequence, and a solicitor's involvement does not remove the need to get it right.
What happens if you skip the solicitor and something goes wrong
- A completion error, such as an out-of-order signature, results in the OPG returning the form for correction and restarting the four-week notice period — the same outcome whether or not a solicitor was involved.
- A poor choice of attorney, made without advice, has no formal remedy through the OPG; the document is still registered, since the OPG does not assess the wisdom of your choices.
- A capacity dispute raised after signing is far harder to resolve without a contemporaneous professional assessment, which is exactly the situation a solicitor is best placed to help avoid.
A worked example of the decision
Linda, 59, wants to appoint her only child as sole attorney with no replacement. Her affairs are a house and a modest pension, and there is no family disagreement. She uses a guided online service for £49, and separately asks a solicitor for a one-off view on whether a lack of replacement attorney matters in her case — a short paid consultation, not full drafting. This hybrid approach costs far less than full solicitor drafting while still getting advice on the one genuine judgement call in her situation.
Common questions
Can a solicitor make my LPA invalid if they get something wrong?
Yes — a solicitor-drafted LPA with a signing order error is rejected in exactly the same way as a DIY one. Legal training reduces the risk of that but does not remove it.
Is it cheaper to use a solicitor for peace of mind than to risk a DIY rejection?
Usually not for straightforward cases. A checked guided service costs a fraction of solicitor fees and addresses the same completion risk that worries people about DIY.
Can I get advice on just one question without paying for full solicitor drafting?
Many solicitors offer a short paid consultation separate from drafting the whole document; it is worth asking directly if you only have one specific concern.
Does the OPG offer any guidance if I am unsure?
The OPG provides notes with the LP1F and LP1H forms explaining each section, though these are general guidance rather than advice on your specific circumstances.
Read next
Where this fits
This page is part of LPA costs and fees. The pages below take it further.
- What an LPA costs in 2026
Our £49 and £79 prices, the £92 OPG registration fee, and solicitor comparisons.
- Solicitor, GOV.UK or online?
An honest comparison, including when you genuinely should pay a solicitor.
See the full cost before you commit
£49 per LPA, £79 for both, plus the £92 the Office of the Public Guardian charges to register each one.
The Office of the Public Guardian charges a separate £92 to register each LPA.
This is general information about Lasting Powers of Attorney in England and Wales. We are not a law firm and this is not legal advice about your situation. What we do and do not do.