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The SRA has been actively enforcing transparency rules harder since 2024, and non-compliant firms are paying the price in fines and reduced search visibility. A modern UK law firm website does three jobs simultaneously: comply, convert, and signal credibility. Most firm sites do one of the three well.
SRA Transparency Rules in 2026
The Solicitors Regulation Authority introduced mandatory price transparency rules in December 2018 covering six areas of practice where clients commonly instruct without prior relationship: conveyancing, motoring offences, employment tribunals, immigration, mental health tribunals, and probate.
For these areas, firms must publish: price information (either fixed fees, hourly rates, or the range of likely costs), the key stages of the matter and likely timescales, the qualifications and experience of the team handling the work, and whether any work will be referred to a third party.
Since 2024, SRA enforcement has moved from guidance to active inspection. Firms found non-compliant receive regulatory notices and in repeated cases, fines. The SRA’s thematic review in 2025 found that a significant proportion of regulated firms still did not fully meet the transparency requirements.
For the six mandatory areas, the information must be on your website, on the specific service page for that area of work, and easy to find (not buried in a PDF or footnote).
For other practice areas not covered by mandatory rules, transparency is commercially advisable even if not legally required. Senior buyers selecting law firms increasingly expect some indication of cost structure before making first contact.
Site Structure for UK Law Firms
The site structure that serves both compliance and client acquisition:
Practice areas. One page per practice area or group of closely related areas. Not a single “services” page listing 15 areas in bullet points. Each page should have sufficient content to demonstrate expertise and, where required by SRA rules, pricing information.
Sector pages. If your firm has developed expertise in specific industries (property, technology, healthcare, manufacturing), sector pages rank well in search and immediately communicate relevance to sector-specific buyers. These complement, not replace, practice area pages.
Solicitor profiles. A page per solicitor with mandatory SRA information: full name, qualifications, year of admission, areas of practice. Beyond the minimum: genuine practice experience, notable matters (appropriately anonymised), languages spoken, and a photo. Profiles without photos underperform those with them in both trust signals and search click-through.
News and insights. Legal commentary, case analysis, regulatory updates. Keeps the site fresh for search purposes and demonstrates current expertise. Aim for consistency over volume: two thoughtful posts per month are better than irregular bursts.
Contact. Phone number, email, office address (required by SRA), and a form. A booking option for initial consultations reduces friction for private client work where direct contact can feel daunting.
Solicitor Bios That Win Instructions
The solicitor bio page is often the highest-converting page on a law firm site after the homepage. A prospect has navigated from their initial query to the specific solicitor they might work with. What they find on that page often determines whether they enquire.
SRA required information. Full name, position, contact information, areas of practice. Non-negotiable.
What converts beyond the minimum:
- A photo (professional, not the same shot across 25 profiles taken at different times and against different backgrounds)
- Genuine recent matters: “Advised a mid-market technology business on its Series B funding round” is specific and credible
- Sector focus: “Clients include construction and property development businesses across the Midlands”
- Education and admission year: useful context for clients assessing experience level
- A sentence of genuine voice: what the solicitor cares about professionally, not marketing copy
What to avoid: corporate bio copy that reads like a press release, stock photography, and generic “dedicated to client service” phrases that are indistinguishable from any other solicitor’s bio.
Pricing Pages for Legal Services
For the SRA-mandatory areas, the pricing page structure must address:
Service name and what is included. Clearly state what the fee covers. For conveyancing: searches, Land Registry fees, correspondence, completion. What is explicitly excluded (stamp duty, survey costs).
Fee amount or range. Fixed fee where applicable. Hourly rate where fixed fee isn’t offered. A range with the factors that influence where a matter falls within that range.
Who will do the work. Name the team or team type. “Your matter will be handled by a solicitor with a minimum of X years’ conveyancing experience” is more reassuring than a generic “experienced team.”
Timescales. Indicative timeline from instruction to completion. For areas with fixed statutory timescales, state them. For variable matters, provide a range.
For practice areas not covered by mandatory rules, a “from” price or engagement structure description is often enough. “Initial advice: £X for 60 minutes. Full employment tribunal representation: typically £X to £Y depending on hearing time” gives enough context for most prospective clients to qualify themselves.
Trust Signals for Legal Buyers
UK legal buyers use a specific set of credibility signals that differ from general B2B.
Legal 500 and Chambers rankings. The two most recognised independent legal directories in the UK. A current ranking (“Recommended in Legal 500 2026 for Commercial Property”) carries significant weight with sophisticated commercial buyers. These logos should appear on the homepage and relevant practice area pages.
Lexcel accreditation. The Law Society’s practice management standard. Signals operational quality and risk management to institutional clients and insurers.
CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme). For conveyancing practices, CQS is required by many lenders and mortgage brokers. If you hold it, show it prominently on your conveyancing pages.
SRA regulated statement. The mandatory regulatory statement must appear on your website. Most firms include it in the footer: “Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority [SRA number].”
Named client testimonials. More constrained than other industries because of client confidentiality. Where clients give permission, named testimonials with their sector context are powerful. Anonymous testimonials are less valuable but still helpful.
Accessibility and Complaints Procedure
WCAG 2.2 basics. Sufficient colour contrast, keyboard navigation, alt text on images, form labels. The Equality Act 2010 applies to law firm websites and the Legal Ombudsman has cited inaccessible digital services in complaints.
Complaints procedure. The SRA requires a written complaints procedure, but it must also be accessible via your website. A dedicated page explaining how to complain, the timescales for response, and the escalation path to the Legal Ombudsman.
Legal Ombudsman details. The name, address, and website of the Legal Ombudsman must be on your site. Typically this appears on the complaints page and in the footer.
For UK law firms, the website is no longer just a digital brochure. It is a compliance document, a client acquisition asset, and increasingly a factor in regulatory oversight. Getting all three right simultaneously is achievable but requires deliberate planning.
Fernside Studio builds websites for UK law firms through our web design service. If you want a compliance and design audit of your current site or want to scope a new build, book a call here.