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, Neil Edwards. 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 2023, it was completed by 90.1% of recipients, and the results are as follows:

About you: Role at the firm
ICAEW Chartered Accountant: 44.59%
Other accountant: 14.86%
Direct support staff: 13.51%
Other profession: 10.81%
Other chartered accountant: 8.11%
Legally qualified: 1.35%
Other legal: 2.70%
Other: 2.70%
Prefer not to say: 1.35%

Age category
16-24: 17.19%
25-34: 37.50%
35-44: 10.94%
45-54: 18.75%
55-64: 6.25%
65+: 4.69%
Prefer not to say: 4.69%

Gender:  What is your registered sex at birth?
Male: 56.25%
Female: 43.75%

Gender:  Which gender do you identify with?
A woman: 42.85%
A man: 55.56%
Prefer not to say: 1.59%

Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth?
Yes: 98.41%
No: 0%
Prefer not to say: 1.59%

Disability: Do you consider yourself to have a disability?
Yes: 4.69%
No: 95.31%

Disability: Are your day to day activities limited because of a disability?
Yes: 3.13% (a little)
No: 96.87%

Disability: If the answer was yes to either of the above, what type?
Digestive / continence: 33.33%
Mental Health: 33.33%
Manual dexterity:  33.33%

Ethnic group
White: 79.68%
Asian/Asian British: 12.50%
Mixed/multiple ethnic background: 4.69%
Black/African/Caribbean/British: 3.13%

Faith
No religion: 48.44%
Christian: 32.81%
Jewish: 6.25%
Hindu: 3.13%
Muslim: 1.56%
Sikh: 1.56%
Any other: 1.56%
Prefer not to say:  4.69%

Sexual Orientation
Heterosexual: 89.06%
LGBTQ+: 6.25%
Prefer not to say: 4.69%

Socio-economic background: If you went to university (to study a BA, BSc course or higher), were you part of the first generation of your family to do so?
Yes: 40.62%
No: 34.38%
Did not attend: 25.0%

Socio-economic background: What type of secondary school did you mainly attend?
State run/funded:  53.12%
Independent or fee-paying:  29.69%
Selective on academic, faith or other grounds:  14.06%
Outside of British Isles:  3.13%

Social mobility: What was the highest level of qualification achieved by your parents/guardians by the time you were 18?
Degree: 35.94%
A Level or Vocational qualification: 31.25%
Below A Level or Vocational: 14.06%
Don’t know: 9.38%
No formal qualifications: 7.81%
Prefer not to say: 1.56%

Social mobility: Which one of these is your highest level of qualification or, as a qualified accountant, held prior to becoming qualified?
Degree level: 70.31%
A Level or vocational qualification: 21.88%
Below A Level: 4.69%
No formal qualifications: 1.56%
Prefer not to say: 1.56%

Social mobility: did your household receive income support while you were at school?
Yes: 7.81%
No: 79.69%
I don’t know: 12.50%

Social mobility: did you receive free school meals?
Yes: 6.25%
No: 79.69%
I don’t know: 14.06%

Social mobility:  What professional did the main earner in the house hold when you were 14?
Modern professional occupations such as: teacher/lecturer, nurse, physiotherapist, social worker, welfare officer, artist, musician, police officer (sergeant or above), software designer: 10.94%
Clerical and intermediate occupations such as: secretary, personal assistant, clerical worker, office clerk, call centre agent, nursing auxiliary, nursery nurse: 15.63%
Senior managers and administrators usually responsible for planning, organising and co-ordinating work and for finance such as: finance manager, chief executive: 28.13%
Technical and craft occupations such as: motor mechanic, fitter, inspector, plumber, printer, tool maker, electrician, gardener, train driver: 7.81%
Semi-routine manual and service occupations such as: postal worker, machine operative, security guard, caretaker, farm worker, catering assistant, receptionist, sales assistant: 3.13%
Routine manual and service occupations such as: HGV driver, van driver, cleaner, porter, packer, sewing machinist, messenger, labourer, waiter / waitress, bar staff: 10.94%
Middle or junior managers such as: office manager, retail manager, bank manager, restaurant manager, warehouse manager, publican: 6.25%
Traditional professional occupations such as: accountant, solicitor, medical practitioner, scientist, civil/mechanical engineer: 14.06%
Inactive (excluding those that are retired): 1.56%
Other: 1.56%

Caring responsibilities: are you a primary carer for a child under 18?
Yes: 14.06%
No: 85.94%

Caring responsibilities: Do you look after, or give any help or support to family members, friends, neighbors or others because of either: Long term physical or mental ill-health / disability or Problems related to old-age?
No:  85.94%
Yes, 1-19 hours a week:  14.06%

Relationships: What is your marital or civil partnership status?
Single: 54.69%
Married: 37.50%
Separated: 1.56%
Divorced: 1.56%
Other: 1.8%
Prefer not to say: 4.69%

Relationships: Have you taken maternity or paternity leave in the last 5 years?
Yes: 3.13%
No: 94.5%

Relationships: If yes: Did you return to your current employer after the leave?
Yes: 100%

Relationships: If yes; Did your current employer give you additional leave for ante-natal appointments?
Yes: 50%
Not applicable: 50%

Relationships: If yes; Has the ability to work from home been an important aide in your return to work?
Yes: 100%

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%.

The data indicates that the majority of respondents are male (60%), and all identify with their gender assigned at birth. The age range of employees is broad, with the largest proportion being between the ages of 25-34 (37.5%) which is consistent with our status as a training firm for accountants and tax advisors. This also accounts for a significant majority having achieved a university degree (70.31%). Most respondents identify as white (79.68%), with small percentages identifying as Asian, Black, or mixed/multiple ethnic groups.  More than half of those who didn’t ‘prefer not to say’ when answering the faith question have no religion, with those who do have a religion spread over six categories, mostly Christian.  The survey also shows that nearly 1 in 20 (4.68%) identify as having a disability, and of those, the majority report limitations in their day-to-day activities.

The firm understands and takes seriously its responsibilities regarding equality, diversity and inclusion.