The problem
A new estate arrives as a will, two codicils, an older will and a stack of bank statements, pension letters and share certificates. Before the first meeting with the executors, someone has to work out who gets what after the codicils and list every asset and debt found. If a probate team takes on 8 estates a month and this first read takes 3 hours each, that's 24 hours a month.
What the AI does
Claude reads up to 20 files in one chat, with PDFs of up to 1,000 pages. The solicitor uploads the will, codicils and scanned estate papers and asks for two tables: the gifts as amended by each codicil, with clause references and anything unclear, and a draft schedule of assets and liabilities naming the document each one came from. The solicitor checks both against the originals, takes the open questions to the executors and builds the estate accounts in the case system. Estate papers name beneficiaries and family members, so the firm uses the Team plan, which doesn't train on business data by default. Interpreting the will, and anything the executors are told, is the solicitor's work under the SRA rules.
A worked example
A probate team of two solicitors in Chester takes on about 8 estates a month. Both use Claude Team for the first read of each estate's will and papers, then check the tables before meeting the executors.
Before
3 hours to read the will, codicils and papers for each of 8 estates: 24 hours a month
After
About 1.5 hours each, including checking every line against the originals: 12 hours a month
What it's worth
About $718£540€643A$1,037C$1,015 a month in solicitor time saved, against about $40£30€36A$58C$56 to $51£38€45A$73C$71 for two Claude Team seats. 1.5 hours saved on each of 8 estates is 12 hours, at an assumed $60£45€54A$86C$85 an hour.
How to set it up
- Have the COLP and data protection lead approve Claude Team, then set it up for both solicitors: $20 (about $20£15€18A$29C$28) per user a month billed annually, or $25 (about $25£19€23A$36C$36) billed monthly, minimum 2 users.
- Scan the estate papers to text-searchable PDFs and upload them with the will and any codicils in one chat, up to 20 files.
- Ask for a table of gifts as amended by each codicil, with clause references, and a list of anything ambiguous or inconsistent.
- Ask for a draft schedule of assets and liabilities, naming the document and page each figure came from.
- Check every line against the originals, take the open questions to the executors and record the checked figures in the case system.
- Enter inheritance tax and other deadlines in the case system first, with a second person checking them.
What goes wrong
- Claude can misread how a codicil changes a gift or miss a revocation. Interpreting the will is the solicitor's job; the table only shows where to look.
- Scans with no text layer may not be read, and in PDFs over 100 pages only text is read, so handwritten notes can be missed. Run scans through OCR and check the schedule against the originals.
- Free and Pro are personal plans where training is opt-out. Estate papers belong on Team, which needs at least 2 users.
- Claude doesn't track deadlines. Diary reminders can fail silently, so check the case system's key dates regularly.