SRA Transparency Rules: Use AI to Draft Price and Service Pages

A small firm can use AI to draft its price and service pages by feeding the model only its own verified fee sheet and the rule's required items, then having the responsible solicitor check every figure, stage and exclusion before publishing. AI handles structure and wording. It must never supply prices, timescales or qualifications.

This is practical guidance, not legal advice. The current version of the rules was made by the SRA Board on 16 December 2024 and has been in effect since 11 April 2025, and the SRA's guidance on price and service transparency was last updated on 30 September 2024. Read both on the SRA site before you publish, since wording and scope can change, and take advice from your COLP on how they apply to your services.

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What the rules require, in plain terms

The rules have four parts relevant to a website.

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• Rule 1, costs information. A firm that publishes, as part of its usual business, that it offers certain listed services must publish cost information on its website. The rule does not apply to publicly funded work.
• Rule 2, complaints information. Publish details of your complaints handling procedure, including how and when a complaint can be made to the Legal Ombudsman and to the SRA.
• Rule 3, publication. A firm with no website must make the rule 1 and 2 information available on request.
• Rule 4, regulatory information. Display your SRA number and the SRA's digital badge prominently on the website, and show your authorisation number and the words "authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority" on letterhead and emails.

The listed services

For individuals, the rule lists residential property conveyancing (freehold or leasehold sales or purchases, and mortgages or re-mortgages), uncontested collection and distribution of a deceased person's assets, immigration applications other than asylum, tribunal appeals on visa or immigration decisions other than asylum, summary-only road traffic offences dealt with at a single hearing, and employee claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal. For businesses, it lists defending employer claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal, debt recovery up to a value of 100,000 (the limit set in rule 1.4), and licensing applications for business premises. On debt recovery, the SRA's case studies say the grand total of the instruction decides whether the rule bites, and a firm that states on its website that it only takes debts above the limit does not need to publish prices for that work.

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What the costs information must contain

Rule 1.5 lists seven items. Treat them as the checklist for each price page:

1. the total cost of the service or, where not practicable, the average cost or range of costs;
2. the basis of your charges, including any hourly rates or fixed fees;
3. the experience and qualifications of anyone carrying out the work, and of their supervisors;
4. a description of, and the cost of, likely disbursements, with an average or range where the actual cost is not known;
5. whether any fees or disbursements attract tax and, if so, the amount;
6. what services are included in the price, the key stages of the matter and likely timescales for each, and any services that might reasonably be expected to be included but are not; and
7. if you use conditional fee or damages-based agreements, the circumstances in which clients may have to pay anything themselves, including from damages.

Rule 1.6 adds that the information must be clear and accessible and in a prominent place on the website. That last point is a design requirement, not a drafting one: a price page buried three clicks deep is a risk even if the words are perfect.

What the SRA's case studies add

The SRA's case studies, last updated in 2019, show how the rules apply. Three points help a small firm. A firm that does not publish that it offers a service is not caught by the rules for that service, so a corporate firm doing a one-off house purchase for a long-standing client does not need to publish prices for it. A firm without a website must provide the standard price information on request, and cannot make a member of the public describe their case in detail before they get it. And the information required is the same standard information you would publish on a website, not a tailored estimate.

The practical lesson for drafting: write prices for a typical matter, say what changes them, and do not bury the numbers behind an enquiry form.

Drafting rules hidden in the SRA's price guidance

The SRA's guidance on transparency in price and service turns the rules into concrete requirements, and several of them are exactly the details an AI draft gets wrong. Put each one into the prompt or the review, not into a hope that the model knows them.

• Tax on fees. State whether the prices, fees and disbursements include tax, give the amount as a percentage or a figure, and say so on the website if the firm is not registered for it.
• Fixed fees still need scope. Spell out exactly what the fixed fee includes, disbursements too, so nobody is surprised by an extra charge.
• Ranges need their factors. If you publish a range, set out the basis of charging, including hourly rates and the factors that decide the final price.
• Delivery model. If face-to-face service costs more than an online route, say so.
• Quote generators. A generator must produce a quote without anyone from the firm having to call first, and the guidance notes that people dislike being forced to give an email address or phone number to see a price.
• Typical, not mean. The guidance accepts the typical cost of a service as the published average, which is often simpler than a mathematical mean across every file.
• Accurate publicity. The guidance reminds firms that publicity must be accurate and not misleading, which rules out the polished outcome claims a model likes to add.

The guidance also carries templates and format examples, including formats for residential conveyancing and probate. Paste the relevant template's headings into the prompt as the page structure, then let the fact sheet supply every value. That keeps the AI's job to wording and order, which is the part it does well.

The fact sheet: the one input AI gets

AI drafting works safely when it is fenced in by a fact sheet. Build one per service and let the responsible fee earner own it. This is a filled-in illustrative example for a small firm's residential sale page. All numbers are invented and must be replaced by your own.

The sheet exists so that when the model drafts, every figure has a source row. If a field is empty, the page is not ready.

A drafting prompt that refuses to guess

You are drafting a website page for a small law firm. Use ONLY the fact sheet below.
Never add a price, a time, a qualification or an exclusion that is not in the sheet.
If an item is missing, write "[NEEDED: item]" in its place.
Page requirements: state the total cost or range first, then the basis of charge, what is included, what is not,
disbursements with costs, stages with timescales, who does the work and their supervision,
whether tax applies, and a link to the complaints page.
Plain English, short sentences, no promises about outcomes or speed.
Fact sheet: [PASTE]

An illustrative result for the sale page: "Our fixed fee for selling a freehold home is 1,200 plus tax. This covers preparing the contract pack, replying to the buyer's enquiries, exchange, completion and registering the release of your mortgage. It does not cover problems with the title, lease extensions or work after a sale falls through. Typical costs you will pay on top: official copies 12, identity checks 15 per person, bank transfer fee 35. [NEEDED: qualification and supervisor experience]". What you would fix: the fact sheet said "registration of discharge", which the model rephrased as "release of your mortgage", so the fee earner confirms the wording is accurate for the firm's process. The missing qualifications line is the model doing its job by flagging the gap.

Page by page: what to draft and what to check

The service page

This is the page a prospective client lands on from search. It explains the service in plain words, who it is for, how the process works and links to the price page. It should not hide the price: where the service is on the listed services, put the cost information on the same page or one clearly signposted click away. AI is strong here: ask for a clear explanation of the process in order, with each stage in a sentence. Check that it describes your actual process, not a textbook one.

The price page

This is where rule 1 lives. Draft it from the fact sheet and compare line by line against the seven items. A quick test: print the page and tick each of the seven items with a pen. A missing tick means a missing requirement.

The "what's included and what is not" block

The rule asks for services that might reasonably be expected to be included but are not. Ask the fee earner, "What do clients assume we do that we don't?" For conveyancing that might be advising on a boundary dispute or dealing with a second property. AI can turn their list into clear wording, but it cannot know your exclusions.

The team and experience block

Rule 1.5 requires the experience and qualifications of anyone carrying out the work and of their supervisors. The SRA's guidance suggests what that can include: years of post-qualification experience, examples or numbers of cases handled, the share of time spent in the area and the kind of issues dealt with. It also says the team details need not sit on the price page, and you need not say who supervises whom. AI should only format what the people provide: role, qualification, years in practice, supervising solicitor. Never ask a model to describe someone's experience from memory or from a profile it has found.

The complaints page

Draft from your actual complaints procedure: who to contact first, how long you take to respond, when and how a complaint can go to the Legal Ombudsman and to the SRA. Check the time limits and contact route against the Ombudsman's and the SRA's own current pages, since these are the details that go stale.

The footer, letterhead and email signature

Rule 4 needs the SRA number and digital badge on the website, and the authorisation number and the "authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority" wording on letterhead and emails. This is a copy-and-paste task for a person, not a drafting task for AI. Check the footer of every page template, plus the signature of every mailbox.

The fact check against your own pricing

This is the step that decides whether AI saves time or creates risk. Do it in three passes.

1. Number pass. Highlight every figure, percentage and duration on the page. Match each to the fact sheet and to the fee schedule the firm actually uses when it quotes. Any number that appears on neither is deleted or sourced.
2. Scope pass. Read the "included" and "not included" lists against a real file closed recently. Would the firm have charged extra for anything listed as included? Was anything done for free that the page says is extra?
3. Consistency pass. Check that the price page, the service page, the engagement letter or client care documents and any quote template all say the same thing. The client care letter tutorial covers aligning those.

Illustrative catch: the draft page said "completion typically takes four weeks". The fact sheet said exchange to completion is by agreement and the matter timeline was two to four weeks for enquiries. The model had merged them. The pass finds it, the page is corrected to "enquiries typically take two to four weeks; the completion date is agreed between the parties", and the fee earner signs.

A worked example: a ten-person firm refreshes five pages

This is an illustration. A ten-person firm offers residential conveyancing, probate and employment claims for employees. Its prices live in a spreadsheet and two older web pages, and the pages disagree. The practice manager and a partner set aside a day.

1. Fact sheets (two hours). One per service, from the spreadsheet and a conversation with each fee earner. Three fields turn out to be unknown: the supervisor's experience, the likely disbursement for one search, and what is excluded from probate.
2. Drafts (45 minutes). The prompt is run per service. The output has "[NEEDED]" for the three unknowns, as it should.
3. Fill the gaps (one hour). The partners supply the details.
4. Fact check (90 minutes). The number pass finds two figures from the old pages that no longer match the fee schedule.
5. Layout and prominence (30 minutes). Price pages linked from the home page menu, and each service page links to its price section.
6. Sign-off (30 minutes). The partner responsible signs each page, with date, in the file.
7. Calendar (5 minutes). A review every six months and whenever the fee schedule changes.

Total: about seven hours across two people, against what is often a longer cycle of copywriting and checking. The saving is in structure and wording, not in checking.

Before and after: a weak price page and a compliant one

Weak version, typical of a page written in a hurry: "Competitive fixed fees for all sales. Contact us for a quote. Our experienced team will guide you through every step." It names no figure, says nothing about what is included, and makes the visitor give details to get a price. The SRA's case studies are clear that standard price information should not depend on a bespoke consultation.

Stronger version, drafted from a fact sheet: "Selling a freehold home: fixed fee 1,200 plus tax. Included: contract pack, replies to the buyer's enquiries, exchange, completion and registering the release of your mortgage. Not included: title defects, lease extensions and work after a sale falls through, which we would quote separately. Disbursements you can expect: official copies 12, identity checks 15 per person, bank transfer 35. Stages: opening 1 to 2 days, contract pack 3 to 5 days, enquiries 2 to 4 weeks, completion on a date agreed between the parties. Your matter is handled by a paralegal supervised by [NAME], a solicitor of [N] years' experience." The figures are invented, and the bracketed items must come from the firm. Each sentence maps to one of the seven items in rule 1.5.

Ranges and averages: when one figure is not practicable

The rule allows an average cost or range where a total is not practicable. Probate is the classic case: the work varies with the size of the estate, the number of properties and whether there are complications. Do not let a model invent a range. Work it out from closed files in a spreadsheet: list the last 30 uncontested matters, record the total fee for each, and report the lowest, the median and the highest after removing any that the page excludes. The SRA's guidance also accepts a typical-case figure, so the median of those files is a defensible average. Say on the page how the range is derived and what pushes a matter to the top: "Most estates with one property and no overseas assets fall between 1,800 and 3,200 plus tax; estates with several properties or business interests cost more and are quoted individually." Again the numbers are illustrative.

The prompt then receives only the range and the factors, not the files, which keeps client information out of the tool. For wider conveyancing admin, the conveyancing admin tutorial shows where AI helps once the page is live.

A realistic mistake: the "from" price

A small firm's draft said "Conveyancing from 800." The fact sheet had 800 for a simple purchase with no mortgage; most clients had a mortgage, and the real figure for them was 1,350. The "from" price was technically derived from the sheet, but a visitor would reasonably read it as the cost of their purchase. The consistency pass caught it because the reviewer asked, "What would most clients actually pay?" The fix was to show both rows in a table with the conditions that apply. If a headline figure applies to a minority of clients, show the common case too.

Keeping the pages accurate over time

A published price that no longer matches what you charge is a risk. Three habits keep it right.

• One source of truth. The fact sheet is the master, the page is derived from it. When fees change, update the sheet first.
• A review date on the sheet. Every sheet shows who checked it and when. Set a calendar reminder.
• Re-draft, do not patch. When more than one field changes, re-run the prompt from the updated sheet and run the three passes again. Patching one number can leave a contradiction.

What not to use AI for on these pages

• Setting prices, ranges or timescales.
• Describing staff experience or qualifications.
• Writing client testimonials or outcome claims.
• Deciding which of your services are covered by the rules.
• Pasting client matter details into a tool to "calibrate" an average cost. Use anonymised totals from your own records, entered by a person.

The last point matters because averages and ranges often come from past files. Work them out in a spreadsheet from closed matters, and only the resulting figures go into the prompt. The SRA's notice on AI misuse stresses client confidentiality and accountability, which the AI checklist for small firms turns into dated actions.

A final check before each page goes live

1. All seven rule 1.5 items present for any listed service, with the page easy to find.
2. Complaints page live and linked, with the Ombudsman and SRA routes checked today.
3. SRA number and digital badge in a prominent place; letterhead and email wording in place.
4. No "[NEEDED]" markers left.
5. Every figure traced to the fee schedule; scope matches practice.
6. Responsible solicitor named, dated approval saved.

If you would like help setting up the fact sheets and prompts so the team can reuse them, that is part of what my AI implementation consultation covers. Treat this as a working method and check every compliance question with your COLP or an adviser, because only the firm can decide how the rules apply to its own services.

Transparency rules questions firms ask

Which services need published prices?

Only the services the rules list, and only if the firm publishes as part of its usual business that it offers them. For individuals the list covers residential conveyancing, uncontested probate, certain immigration matters, certain road traffic matters and employment tribunal claims by employees. Check rule 1 on the SRA site for the current list and limits.

Can AI write the prices?

No. AI can structure and phrase a page, but the figures, the stages and the exclusions must come from the firm's own current pricing and be confirmed by the person responsible. A model that fills a gap with a plausible number creates a published misstatement. Mark gaps clearly and fill them from your fee schedule.

Do we need to publish a single price?

The rule asks for the total cost where practicable, or where not practicable the average cost or range of costs, together with the basis of charges, such as hourly rates or fixed fees. A range is allowed where a single figure is not practicable. Say how the figure was worked out.

What if we have no website?

Then the information must be available on request, and the SRA's case studies say it should be the same standard information you would otherwise publish, not a bespoke estimate that depends on a detailed consultation about the person's case.

Further reads

• How Small Law Firms Use AI to Draft Letters and Routine Documents — Routine letters and documents drafted with checks.
• Per-Seat or Pay-As-You-Go? Legal AI Pricing for Small Firms — What the AI tools themselves cost to run.
• Making a Website Using AI With Good SEO: A Step-by-Step Build — Build the page so search engines can read it too.
• Law Firms AI UK: What Solicitors Should Check Before Using AI — Checks before any AI tool touches firm work.
• AI Implementation Plan for a Small Law Firm: The First 90 Days — A 90-day plan for introducing AI in a small firm.
• Best AI for Solicitors in the UK: Matched to Each Task — Match AI tools to research, drafting, client emails and contracts in a small UK firm, with list prices, data-location answers and a supervision record.
• AI Tools and AI Development: The Complete 2026 Guide — the AI hub, including every tutorial in the AI-for-business series.

Sources: SRA Transparency Rules (made by the SRA Board on 16 December 2024, version in effect from 11 April 2025); SRA guidance, Transparency in price and service (updated 30 September 2024); SRA Transparency Rules case studies (updated 25 November 2019).