Dunham McCarthy

What Dunham McCarthy does

Dunham McCarthy is a UK-based, Stafford-headquartered private estate planning firm that delivers will writing, lasting powers of attorney (LPAs), multiple trust structures (Property Protection, Home Protection, Right of Occupation, Discretionary, Life Interest, Disabled Persons), and estate administration services to UK adults with assets and dependents. The firm is a member of the Institute of Professional Willwriters and operates under a Trading Standards Institute–approved Code of Practice; it serves both individual consumers and corporate employees through a free Will employee-benefit programme. Channel-wise, Dunham McCarthy combines face-to-face in-home appointments, extended-hours telephone support, Microsoft Teams video consultations, and a secure online client portal, delivering services UK-wide from a single Stafford office.

Operationally the firm runs an in-house team of estate planning specialists and has drafted over 30,000 wills to date at a sustained run rate of approximately 1,000 wills per month. Its principal technical asset is an in-house secure document storage facility — fireproof, floor-proof, tamper-proof — fully insured up to £2,500,000, with National Will Register registration and an annual subscription model (£29 single will, £39 mirror wills) including unlimited will updates. Hard-copy and digital storage (Wills, LPAs, Property Deeds, Life Insurance documents) is supported by a secure upload portal accommodating up to four documents per submission.

The business is a hybrid of one-time professional fees (will drafting, trusts, LPAs, estate administration) and recurring annual storage subscription revenue, supplemented by a freemium corporate employee benefit programme used as a client acquisition channel. The group also operates two wholly-owned subsidiaries — DM Mortgages and Dunham McCarthy Financial Services Ltd (an Appointed Representative of PRIMIS Mortgage Network) — providing FCA-regulated mortgage and life/critical-illness insurance advice to cross-sell to the existing client base. Pricing is publicly disclosed; documentation storage fees are fixed for five years with CPI indexation thereafter and late payment interest charged at 8% per annum.

Name

Dunham McCarthy

Legal name

Dunham McCarthy

Website

https://dm-legal.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dunham McCarthy is a UK-based private estate planning firm in Stafford that drafts wills, lasting powers of attorney, multiple trust structures and estate administration for individual consumers, complemented by secure document storage and a free corporate employee benefit will programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Estate Planning Legal Services

NAICS

Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK)

Keywords

• Estate planning services
• Will writing services
• Lasting powers of attorney
• Property protection trusts
• Secure document storage

Headquarters

HQ city

Stafford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Will Writing Services: One-time professional will drafting services including single wills and mirror wills for couples. Fees are charged per document/package and include free supervised attestation at offices or a home visit for witnessing.
2. Document Storage Services: Annual storage fees for wills and related documents. Single Will storage at £29/year; Mirror Wills storage at £39/year. Includes unlimited will updates (up to 4 times per year), National Will Register registration, storage certificates, and copy of will for client records.
3. Professional Services and Disbursements: Fees for estate administration, lasting powers of attorney, and related services. Disbursements to third parties (e.g., registration fees, storage retrieval) are billed separately.
4. Corporate Employee Benefit Programme: Free will writing service offered to employees of corporate partner companies, with the firm deriving client acquisition value from introducing services to new client households.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dunham McCarthy is an estate planning specialist firm that drafts wills, lasting powers of attorney, trusts, and estate administration paperwork for individual UK consumers, and stores those documents in its own fireproof, waterproof, tamper-proof facility insured up to £2,500,000. The firm also runs a free employee-benefit will-writing service delivered through corporate employer partnerships, plus insurance and mortgage advice via group affiliates. Services are delivered through home visits, telephone, video consultations (Microsoft Teams), and a secure online file-upload portal.

Product overview

Dunham McCarthy is an estate planning specialist offering a comprehensive suite of services centered around will writing and asset protection. The core offering is Will Writing, complemented by various trust structures (Property Protection Trust, Home Protection Trust, Right of Occupation Trust, Discretionary Trusts, Disabled Persons Trust), Lasting Powers of Attorney, and Estate Administration services. Additional services include Document Storage for secure will preservation and Insurance Advice for life and critical illness coverage. The firm also offers a Free Will Service as an employee benefit through corporate partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dunham McCarthy Legal: Legal services division of the company providing estate planning services
• Dunham McCarthy Financial Services

Products and services

• Will Writing Professional will drafting service covering single wills and mirror wills for couples, including instruction-taking, draft checks, and supervised attestation at the firm's offices or at the client's home.
• Document Storage Annual subscription storage of wills and related documents (Wills, LPAs, Life Insurance, Property Deeds) in a fireproof, waterproof, tamper-proof facility with up to £2,500,000 insurance cover and unlimited will updates (up to four times a year).
• Property Protection Trust Trust arrangement designed to protect property assets from being used to fund care home fees while ensuring they pass to intended beneficiaries.
• Home Protection Trust Trust structure designed to safeguard the family home and protect it from risks including care home costs and inheritance disputes.
• Right of Occupation Trust Trust allowing a surviving spouse or partner the right to live in a property while ultimately protecting it for other beneficiaries.
• Lasting Powers of Attorney Preparation of legal documents appointing attorneys to make decisions on behalf of the client regarding health, welfare, and financial affairs if they lose mental capacity.
• Discretionary Trusts Flexible trust arrangement where trustees have discretion over how and when to distribute income and capital to beneficiaries.
• Estate Administration Professional service assisting executors with the legal and administrative process of settling an estate after death, including probate applications.
• Disabled Persons Trust Specialised trust designed to protect assets for vulnerable beneficiaries while ensuring they remain eligible for means-tested benefits.
• Free Will Service – Employee Benefit Complimentary face-to-face will-writing service provided to employees of partner companies, including home visits and video call appointments, used as an acquisition channel for the firm's full service range.
• Insurance Advice Expert advice on life insurance and critical illness cover to provide financial protection for families, including mortgage repayment and income replacement, delivered through Dunham McCarthy Financial Services Ltd.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30,000 Wills drafted to date
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Institute of Professional Willwriters (IPW)coreOthersDunham McCarthy is a member of the Institute of Professional Willwriters (IPW) and operates in accordance with its Code of Practice. The IPW Code is approved by the Trading Standards Institute. Complaints not resolved by the company can be escalated to the IPW's Conciliation Process, and further to the Estate Planning Arbitration Scheme (EPAS). Registered address: Trinity Point New Road, Halesowen, B63 3HY.
• Dunham McCarthy Financial Services LtdcoreOthersRelated company within the Dunham McCarthy Group. Financial advisors within the Group provide financial advice through Dunham McCarthy Financial Services Ltd, an Appointed Representative of PRIMIS Mortgage Network (trading name of First Complete Limited), authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Provides life insurance and mortgage advice to complement the legal will writing service.
• PRIMIS Mortgage Network / First Complete LimitedminorOthersDunham McCarthy Financial Services Ltd operates as an Appointed Representative of PRIMIS Mortgage Network, a trading name of First Complete Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Enables the provision of mortgage and insurance advice services.
• Corporate Employer PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNumerous companies partner with Dunham McCarthy to offer a free will writing service as an employee benefit. Employees of these partner companies receive the service entirely free of charge, and Dunham McCarthy uses the programme to reach new client households.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Co-op Legal Services: National UK legal services provider offering wills, probate, LPAs and estate planning under the Co-op brand. Comparable target market (UK adults) and service scope, but a much larger incumbent with consumer brand reach and diversified legal product lines beyond estate planning.
• Boodle Hatfield: London private client law firm specialising in wills, succession planning, trusts and tax for HNW families. Directly comparable private client and estate planning work, with a similar focus on home/asset protection trusts and family wealth structuring.
• Mishcon de Reya: London-based full-service law firm with a strong Private Client / wealth planning group handling wills, trusts, and estate administration for HNW and UHNW individuals. Comparable estate planning work but at a higher-end client segment and with a much broader corporate and dispute resolution practice.
• Slater and Gordon: UK law firm offering wills, probate, estate planning, and a much wider litigation and consumer-legal practice. Comparable will-writing and estate planning service to consumers, with much greater scale and brand reach than Dunham McCarthy.
• Stephens Scown: UK regional law firm with a Private Client practice offering wills, trusts, LPAs, estate administration and tax planning. Comparable will-writing and estate planning service to individuals, with a regional (South West) footprint rather than UK-wide home-visit distribution.
• Irwin Mitchell: Major UK national law firm with a significant Private Wealth / Wills & Estate Planning practice serving individuals, families, and business owners. Comparable service offering (wills, trusts, LPAs, estate administration) but a broader full-service firm with corporate, litigation, and real estate practices.

Direct peers

• Farewill: UK digital-first will writing and probate platform offering low-cost online wills. Directly competes with Dunham McCarthy for the same UK adult demographic, but delivers via self-service software rather than home visits, representing the principal disruptive threat to Dunham McCarthy's field-sales model.
• Which? Legal Service: Consumer-facing legal service from the Which? brand offering wills, LPAs and related estate planning to UK consumers. Comparable customer base and product mix, distributed via an established consumer-trust brand rather than field sales.

Regional players

• Taylor Bracewell: Regional UK law firm in Yorkshire & Lincolnshire with a wills, probate and estate planning practice. Comparable individual-client will writing and estate administration work, but limited to a specific UK region and not operating a national home-visit model.
• Wake Smith Solicitors: Sheffield-based UK regional law firm with a wills, trusts, probate and estate planning team. Comparable service offering for individual clients but focused on the South Yorkshire / North England market rather than UK-wide field sales.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dunhammccarthy
• Facebookfacebook.com/DunhamMcCarthy

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dunham McCarthy