Choosing an executor

If you are not confident about family or friends appoint a firm if solicitor's as co executors in many cares you will need a solicitors help anyway.
Family member can do all the leg work and the solicitor. approves it.

My solicitor is my Executor. My kids live too far away and after having been the Executor for both my parents I found it was a lot of work and very time consuming. Although I had no issues doing it.

I have no family, so I asked a neighbour whom I know well and a separate friend. To thank them, I have left each some money in my will.

You could ask a notary, they would do it for a fee that might be less than a solicitor.

I would advise against the solicitor only executor- I have heard some difficult stories if left exclusively in their hands.

You can have more than one executor, why not choose a family member and the solicitor?

You could name your solicitor as executor