Guidance

Unregulated legal services: complying with consumer law

How to meet your consumer law obligations as an unregulated provider of will writing, online divorce and pre-paid probate services.

• From: Competition and Markets Authority
• Published: 9 October 2024
• Last updated: 30 January 2026 — See all updates

Documents

Unregulated legal services: Consumer protection law guidance

HTML

Unregulated legal services: Consumer protection law guidance (printable version)

PDF, 827 KB, 50 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email general.enquiries@cma.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

This guidance explains how unregulated businesses must comply with consumer law when providing will writing, online divorce and pre-paid probate services.

The guidance also provides checklists and case studies (for will writing and online divorce services). 

We updated the guidance on 30 January 2026 to reflect changes to consumer protection law from the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, which came into effect on 6 April 2025.

Read more about our investigation to protect consumers following complaints about providers that offer these legal services.

We have also published short guides to help consumers understand:

• what to consider when buying will writing services
• what to look out for when buying divorce services

Published 9 October 2024

Last updated 30 January 2026 + show all updates

1. 30 January 2026

   Compliance guidance updated to reflect changes to the law from the DMCC Act.

2. 9 October 2024

   First published.