LEAP Estates releases 2026 Private Client Industry Report on Wills and Estate Planning Trends
LEAP Estates has released its 2026 Private Client Industry Report, providing detailed insight into wills and estate planning trends across England and Wales. The report draws on aggregated, anonymised data from the LEAP, LEAP Estates and Willsuite platforms, offering a large-scale, data-led view of private client legal activity during the 2025 reporting year.
Drawing on 242,895 wills, 176,277 lasting powers of attorney (LPAs), and 87,833 wills containing trusts, the report offers one of the most comprehensive datasets available within the private client and estate planning sector. By analysing real client matters across a single, consistent dataset, the findings present a clear picture of how individuals are responding to changing social, demographic and regulatory conditions.
The 2026 Private Client Industry Report explores how demographic shifts, increasing life expectancy, complex family structures and regulatory developments are reshaping demand for private client legal services. It also reflects the growing role of digital assets and modern estate considerations in wills and long-term planning.
The report focuses on four core areas shaping the industry in 2026:
- Demographic shifts influencing demand for wills and LPAs
- The impact of longevity on trust planning and asset protection
- The rise in blended families and increased exclusions in wills
- Regulatory updates prompting procedural and compliance changes
As longevity increases, more clients are incorporating trust provisions within their wills to provide flexibility, asset protection and structured wealth transfer. At the same time, the data indicates continued growth in blended family arrangements, contributing to more tailored estate planning and, in some cases, clearer exclusions within testamentary documents.
Regulatory developments are also driving change within the private client and estate planning profession. Firms are adapting processes to maintain compliance while improving efficiency through digital systems and integrated platforms.
Andy Hitchon, Head of Private Client at LEAP Legal Software, says:
“This year’s Private Client Industry Report is grounded in observed behaviour, giving us a clear indication of what individuals are putting in place when engaging with estate planning, thus offering a more accurate picture of how social, economic and legal shifts are impacting the industry in 2026.”
By combining large-scale data analysis with practical interpretation, the LEAP Estates 2026 Private Client Industry Report provides essential insight for solicitors, probate practitioners and estate planning professionals. It offers a clear understanding of current market activity while helping firms anticipate how client demand for wills, trusts and lasting powers of attorney is likely to evolve in the year ahead.
The LEAP Estates 2026 Private Client Industry Report is available to download now.
To access the full report and explore the data in detail, visit:
https://www.leapestates.co.uk/brochures/2026-private-client-industry-report/
