You have been asked how long a closed file actually has to stay. Maybe it was a partner, maybe an inspection, maybe just your own conscience after walking past the archive cupboard again. So you searched it, and found three different numbers, all sounding equally official. One source says six years. Another says seven. A third quotes something called an “80-year rule.” None of them are quite lying to you, and none of them are quite right either. They are half-truths from three different, adjacent rules, and it is genuinely confusing, not carelessly researched. There is an actual answer, and it depends on what kind of file you are holding.
In a hurry? Start here:
- Writing a retention policy from scratch? Jump to the matter-by-matter guide.
- Clearing a backlog and deciding what can go now? Jump to sorting a backlog.
- Need the citation to defend an existing policy? Jump to where the SRA’s 7-to-80-year figure actually comes from.
Is There a Legal Minimum? Here’s the Straight Answer
No. There is no single legally mandated retention period for a solicitor’s closed client file. Neither the SRA Code of Conduct nor the Law Society sets one. What actually governs the decision is your firm’s exposure to a claim under the Limitation Act 1980, and that varies sharply depending on the type of matter the file relates to.
Three different “authorities” tend to get quoted at each other on this question, and none of them are quite settling it: the SRA’s own retention table (which sounds official but answers a different question, covered next), the Law Society’s studied silence, and whatever convention a particular firm happens to have inherited. We will untangle each one below.
This article covers England and Wales, where the SRA and the Law Society of England and Wales set the rules that apply. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regulators and different retention conventions, so if that is your jurisdiction, the Law Society of Scotland or the Law Society of Northern Ireland is the right place to check, not this page.
Where the SRA’s “7 to 80 Years” Figure Actually Comes From
The figure most commonly quoted online, that solicitors must keep files for “a minimum of seven years, up to 80 years for some documents,” is not a rule for practising firms at all. It is the SRA’s own internal policy for how long its Intervention Archives Department keeps files after the SRA has stepped in and closed a firm down.
That is a specific, narrow situation: a firm has been intervened in, the SRA has taken physical possession of its files, and the SRA’s own archive is now deciding how long it holds onto material that is no longer anyone’s live business. The range genuinely does run from around three years for administrative material up to 80 years for original documents like deeds, wills and powers of attorney, and no files are destroyed in the first twelve months after an intervention. All of that is real. None of it describes what an ordinary, operating firm is required to do with its own closed files. Treating the SRA’s archive policy as if it were general guidance for every practice is the single most common piece of misinformation circulating on this question, usually repeated by well-meaning blog posts rather than anyone at the SRA itself.
So what does the SRA Code of Conduct actually regulate? Confidentiality, mainly: a duty to keep current and former clients’ affairs confidential, and standards around competence and client money. It does not contain a clause setting a retention clock for closed matter files. Where the SRA does set specific numbers, it is through the separate Accounts Rules for financial records, or through the intervention-archive policy above, not through a general Code provision that applies to every closed file a firm holds.
What the Law Society Actually Says (And Doesn’t)
The Law Society’s own practice advice service is direct about this: there is no specific Law Society guidance stating how long a file should be retained in storage, and firms need to decide for themselves how long they wish to store closed files. That is the professional body most likely to set such a rule, saying plainly that it has not, as of the date this article was checked (23 July 2026).
So if neither the regulator nor the professional body sets a number, who actually decides? In practice, your exposure to a claim does, and that exposure is defined by law rather than by regulatory guidance, which is what the Limitation Act 1980 is for.
So What Decides It? The Limitation Act, Not a Regulator
The practical answer comes from the Limitation Act 1980, the law that sets when a claim against your firm becomes legally time-barred. This is also why the “right” retention period is not one number. It genuinely differs by matter type, because the law treats different kinds of claims differently.
For most contract and tort claims, the basic limitation period is six years from when the cause of action arose. This covers the bulk of routine commercial and civil litigation work, and standard property sales with no complications. Once six years have passed with no claim brought, a claimant generally cannot start one, which is why six to seven years (allowing a buffer for exactly when the clock is deemed to start) is the retention figure most firms settle on for this category.
Conveyancing and property purchase files are held longer, and there is a specific legal reason: section 14B of the Limitation Act introduces a 15-year professional-negligence longstop. A claim generally cannot be brought more than 15 years after the negligent act, no matter when the client discovers the problem. Property defects can take a long time to surface, so firms commonly retain conveyancing files for 12 to 16 years to stay inside that window.
Wills, trusts and probate files are different again, and this is where the ordinary limitation logic almost stops applying in any useful way. A claim relating to a will typically cannot arise until after the testator has died, which could be decades after the file was closed. That is why these files are commonly retained indefinitely, or for a very long period, rather than against a fixed number of years from closure. And family law matters involving children carry their own extension: limitation periods for a minor’s own claim do not start running until they turn 18, so firms commonly retain these files until the child reaches adulthood plus a further buffer, often cited as the equivalent of 21 years from birth.
Every one of these numbers is legitimate, simultaneously, for its own matter type. None of them comes from a single mandating regulator. They are risk-managed inferences from limitation law, industry convention and your own firm’s appetite for risk, which is exactly why the table below sorts by matter, not by a single clock.
Which Clock Applies to Your Files? A Matter-by-Matter Guide
Here is the sorting method most UK firms actually use in practice, built directly from the limitation mechanics above. It is an industry-convention table, not a statutory one, and it is worth pinning to the wall of whoever owns your firm’s file destruction decisions.
| Matter type | Typical industry retention | Why (the legal logic) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard commercial/civil litigation, family law (no children) | 6-7 years from conclusion | Basic Limitation Act 1980 contract/tort limitation | Industry-standard inference, not a statutory mandate |
| Standard property sales / conveyancing | 12-16 years from conclusion | 15-year professional-negligence longstop, Limitation Act 1980 s.14B | Industry-standard inference |
| Wills, trusts, probate | Indefinite, or 20+ years | Claims typically only arise after the testator’s death | Industry-standard inference |
| Family law involving children | Until child turns 18, plus a buffer (commonly cited as 21 years from birth) | Limitation period for a minor’s claim doesn’t start running until adulthood | Industry-standard inference |
| Files taken over by the SRA after a firm closes (Intervention Archives) | 3-80 years depending on document type | SRA’s own internal archiving policy | Not a rule for practising firms, included here for contrast only |
These are the periods most UK firms work to in practice, based on when a claim becomes time-barred under the Limitation Act 1980, not a single number set by the SRA or the Law Society. Every firm’s own retention policy should be confirmed with its compliance officer or the SRA or Law Society directly, particularly for matter types not covered here.
Once you know how long a file actually needs to stay reachable, the next question is usually where. If office space is already tight, a document storage unit built for exactly this kind of long-hold archive is worth a look.
Sorting a Backlog: How One Cotswolds Practice Would Approach It
The scenario below is illustrative only. It is not a real client, not a case study, and not a claim about any specific firm’s actual figures. It teaches a sorting method, nothing more.
Picture a small high-street practice near Wigwam Self Storage Chipping Norton, doing a typical Cotswolds mix of conveyancing, wills and probate, and general civil work. Under the framework above, its closed conveyancing files need to stay reachable for well over a decade, its wills and probate files effectively forever, and its routine litigation files for around six to seven years.
The method that solves this is sorting by matter type first, not by how long ago a file was closed. Wills and probate go into a permanent off-site archive. Conveyancing goes into a longer-hold archive, reviewed every few years. Standard litigation and commercial files go into a shorter-hold archive that gets purged on a rolling schedule as each file clears its own limitation window. That is the method, not any specific firm’s numbers. Every practice’s actual volumes and costs will differ and should be worked out against its own caseload.
Building a Retention Policy You Can Actually Defend
A policy that holds up under scrutiny does three things: it names its matter types, it states the legal logic behind each retention period rather than just a number, and it names who to ask when a matter type is not covered. That combination, not a single memorised figure, is what actually survives being questioned by an inspection or a partner meeting.
A COLP or COFA-ready policy typically sets out matter-type categories matching the table above, the reasoning behind each one, a named review cadence for revisiting the policy as guidance changes, and a named person to escalate to when a file does not fit neatly into an existing category.
This article is general information, not legal or regulatory advice. Every firm should confirm its own retention policy with its COLP or COFA, its professional indemnity insurer, or by consulting the SRA or Law Society directly, especially for matter types that fall outside the table above.
Where to Actually Keep Files You’re Not Ready to Destroy
Once a firm knows how long a file needs to stay reachable, the problem becomes physical. Office space is expensive, slow to search through, and a defensible retention policy only works if the files are actually retrievable when needed, not just theoretically retained in a cupboard nobody can find anything in.
This is where off-site archive storage earns its keep for a decade-plus hold. Wigwam’s document storage is clean, dry and secure, with individually alarmed units and smart entry access from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week. Sites are unmanned, so if a removals firm or courier is bringing boxes in on your behalf, someone from your practice needs to be there to let them in and out. Storage runs on a refundable deposit, returned after 14 days’ notice, with a refund for any paid days you did not use, never a hidden or non-refundable sum. None of this is climate control, and we do not claim it is; it is a clean, dry, alarmed unit, which is what a paper archive actually needs.
For the practical side of setting one up, packing, indexing and choosing the right unit size, see our companion guide on records retention for solicitors and accountants, which covers that step by step. This article’s job was the harder question: how long, and why.
If an off-site archive is the next practical step for your practice, you can see unit sizes and locations at Wigwam’s business storage or get a quote directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Correct. The SRA Code of Conduct does not set a mandatory retention period for closed client files. The “7 to 80 years” figure you may have seen is the SRA’s own Intervention Archives policy for files it takes over after closing a firm down, not a requirement for firms that are still practising.
If a firm closes in an orderly way, files are usually transferred to another firm, returned to clients, or placed into managed storage, and the SRA’s own guidance is clear that files “should not be held indefinitely” and firms should have a proper destruction plan. If the SRA has to intervene to close a firm down involuntarily, files can end up in the SRA’s own Intervention Archives, which is the specific 3-to-80-year policy covered earlier in this article.
Wills are typically kept for a long period after death, often indefinitely where practical, since questions about a will’s validity or execution can surface years or decades later. There is no single statutory figure for this; it follows the same logic as the rest of the wills and probate category above, driven by when a claim could realistically arise rather than a fixed clock from closure.
Generally yes, a client can request their file, though a firm may retain certain original documents (such as a will or deeds) or a core record for its own protection, and some costs may apply to retrieval or copying. This is worth confirming with your own compliance lead, since the answer can vary by matter type and by what the client is actually asking for.
This article is general information, not legal or regulatory advice. It reflects the position as verified on 23 July 2026; professional guidance is occasionally revised, so firms relying on this for policy purposes should confirm current wording directly with the SRA, the Law Society, or their own compliance officer.
