Do I need a Solicitor?

Q

I recently : inherited my mother’s estate and want the best possible legal advice to help me sell the house, write a will and manage the change in my circumstances. Will I need a solicitor for all of the work and who should I approach to do it?

A

: Scottish solicitors are fully regulated by the Law Society of Scotland and unlike unregulated legal advisers, who cannot refer to themselves as solicitors, we have strong client protections in place to protect legal services consumers, in the unlikely event, that something goes wrong. There are some areas of law which are marked as ‘reserved’ by statute and must be carried out by a solicitor. Conveyancing is one of these, so you will need a solicitor for at least part of the work. There are certain areas of law on which someone who is not a qualified solicitor, can advise - and will writing is amongst these. So yes, in theory a solicitor could carry out the conveyancing work involved in the sale of the house while a non-solicitor writes your will. However, we would recommend engaging a solicitor who will be able to advise you on managing every aspect of your current circumstances, taking into account your recent inheritance and its implications. You can search for a Scottish solicitor on our website, either by the location most convenient for you or by area of law, secure in the knowledge that they are regulated by the Law Society.