Our Fees

Our Complaints Policy

Probate Fees

Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets

The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter.

We will handle the full process for you. This includes

Draft a legal oath for you to swear
Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
Identify the type of Probate application you will require
Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
Issue the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
Obtain the Probate and securely send two copies to you
Collect and distribute all assets in the estate

[There must be a valid will, there is no more than one property, there are no more than 3 bank or building society accounts, there are no other intangible assets other than 3 bank accounts and cash].

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court or search fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Anticipated Disbursements not included in the fee

Probate application fee of £155.00
£7.00 Swearing of the oath (per executor)
Bankruptcy Land Charges Department searches (£2.00 per beneficiary)
£250.00 Post in The London Gazette in a Local Newspaper – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors. (this is an estimate as it may vary by location )

Potential additional costs

If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings there is likely to be additional costs that could range significantly on the estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information
Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.

Our Fees

The hourly rate in £255.00 plus vat per hour.]

Generally it is very difficult to estimate the amount of time required to complete the administration as it is not always clear at the outset whether complicated issues will arise.

We also charge an additional value element to reflect the complexity of the matter, the responsibility involved in dealing with the administration and the value of the estate.

We charge between 0.75% – 3% of the gross value of the deceased’s estate, plus a care-and-conduct uplift of 25% – 33%

Contested Probate Fees

The hourly rate for contested probate is upwards of £295.00 plus VAT per hour.

It maybe possible to work on a fixed percentage basis dependent on the size of the estate subject to terms and conditions

Litigation Fees

At your first consultation we will we calculate our charges where possible and give you a detailed breakdown of estimated costs. In litigation matters you may be able to recover your costs from the opposing party if you win your case, however this does not apply to every matter and professional advise will be given in respect to this.

Our hourly rates are listed below:

Senior solicitors £275 plus vat per hour

Junior Solicitors and Fee Earners £255 plus vat per hour

Paralegals £175 plus vat per hour

Drafting Wills – Fees

At your first consultation we will we calculate our charges where possible and give you a detailed breakdown of estimated costs.

Our fee for drafting a basic single Will commence from £275 plus vat

Our fees for drafting basic Mirror Wills commence from £500.00 + VAT

Private Funding of Family Cases

In all the privately funded cases, we aim to offer fair and reasonable prices. If you are consulting us about Court proceedings, we can offer you fixed fee packages and can discuss these with you.

We keep things as transparent as possible so that there are no hidden extras. Please note that it is not possible for us to discount court fees or other disbursements. We regularly use barristers chambers and have good relationship with counsel, therefore, we aim to provide you competitive rates should you require counsel to represent you at court.

Our hourly rates are listed below:

Senior Solicitors / Senior Fee Earners / Senior Family Law Executives £255.00 plus vat per hour

Junior Solicitors / Junior Fee Earners / Litigation Executives £195.00 plus vat per hour

Paralegals £165 plus vat per hour

High Net Worth Divorce upwards of £295.00 plus vat per hour (for cases involving Companies / Complex Business Structures)

PLEASE NOTE WE DON’T CARRY OUT ANY LEGAL AID WORK AS WE DO NOT HOLD A LEGAL AID FRANCHISE

Conveyancing Fees

Please select “Get an Instant Quote” tab at the top of the page

Complaints Information Statement

We want to give you the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we have provided then you should inform us immediately, so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.

In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues at this stage. If you would like to make a formal complaint, then you can read our full complaints procedure below headed “Our Complaints Policy” Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case and you will not be charged for time spent handling your complaint.

What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint

The Legal Ombudsman may be able to help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at complaints independently and accessing the Ombudsman will not affect how we handle your case. Most ‘consumer’ clients (as oppose to large businesses) will be able to make use of the Ombudsman scheme however there are restrictions for some larger clients. Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

Within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint

and

No more than one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or
No more than one year from the date when you should reasonably have known that there was cause for complaint.

If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them:

Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9am to 5pm.

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ

Please note that the Ombudsman are there to deal with concerns about the level of service received. Where there are more serious concerns that a solicitor or solicitor’s firm have been involved in professional misconduct then reports can also be made to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the regulator of solicitors and solicitor firms. This could be for quite unusual and serious acts of misconduct such as dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic. Obviously we do not anticipate any such problems arising and would ask that you notify the matter supervisor straight away if you have any such concerns. You can find out more about the Solicitors Regulation Authority including their contact details and professional conduct rules on their website: www.sra.org.uk.

Our Complaints Policy

We are committed to providing a quality service to our clients. We value feedback from clients greatly because it helps us to continually improve our service. If you do not feel that you are receiving excellent client service or that something could be improved, please do tell us about it. If we have fallen short of the high standards which we have set for ourselves then we would like the opportunity to put it right.

What do I do if I have feedback or a complaint?

At first it would be helpful if you could discuss any feedback or concerns which you have about our service or how it might be improved with the lawyer dealing with your matter. If the lawyer dealing cannot resolve your concern informally, or if the issue is of such a serious nature that you do not feel comfortable raising it with your lawyer, then you may discuss this with our complaints partner as a complaint under this policy.

How do I raise a complaint under this policy?

It would help us if you could email with:

why you feel dissatisfied with the service which you have received;
how you would prefer to be contacted about your complaint;
if there is anything in particular which you would like us to do to resolve your complaint.

If you would prefer not to email details of your complaint in this way then please call to discuss the best way to get an understanding of your concerns.

What happens after I have made a complaint under this policy?

We will:

send an acknowledgement of your complaint within 7 days of receiving it;
log your complaint on our central complaints register;
investigate the concerns and arrange a discussion with you to try to agree how to resolve the issues within 21 days of receiving your complaint;
write to you within 28 days of receiving your complaint to confirm the outcome of this.

In exceptional circumstances it may be necessary to extend these timescales but we will try to agree any variations with you first. If you remain unsatisfied after 8 weeks at the latest we will always ensure that you are reminded at that time of how to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman if you are eligible to do so.

What might the outcome of my complaint be?

We very much regret any dissatisfaction which our clients experience and will not hesitate to apologise to you where our service has fallen below our high standards. We may also agree that certain steps will be taken to improve your situation and to ensure that any problems experienced will not reoccur.

What if I remain unsatisfied?

If you remain dissatisfied you may be entitled to complain to the Legal Ombudsman about our service. This service is not available to all clients however such as large businesses. The Ombudsman would generally expect clients to follow a firm’s internal complaints procedure first. You can find further information about the Ombudsman on the website www.legalombudsman.org.uk. You can write to the Ombudsman at Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ or by email on enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk or call on 0300 555 0333. If you wish to raise a complaint with the Ombudsman then you should not delay bringing it to their attention once our own complaints process has concluded as there are some time limits on when this must be done. For example, normally you must raise a complaint with the Ombudsman within six months of the firm’s own final decision on how to resolve your complaint.

Regulatory Status

We are regulated and authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

We are not authorised by the Financial Services Authority. However, we are included on the register maintained by the Financial Services Authority so that we can carry on insurance mediation activity, which is broadly the advising on, selling and administration of insurance contracts. This part of our business, including arrangements for complaints or redress if something goes wrong, is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The register can be accessed via the Financial Services Authority website at http://www.fsa.gov.uk/register.

Privacy policy

Your privacy is of utmost importance to us. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you visit our website or use our services.

Information We Collect:
We may collect personal information such as your name, email address, and contact number when you voluntarily provide it to us. Additionally, we automatically collect certain information about your visit to our website, including your IP address, browser type, and browsing behaviour.

2. Use of Information:
We use the information we collect to provide you with our email marketing services and to communicate with you about your account. We may also use your information to improve our services, customise your experience, and send you relevant marketing communications.

3. Disclosure of Information:
We take your privacy seriously and do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer your personal information to third parties without your consent. However, we may disclose your information to trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or servicing your account. These parties are obligated to keep your information confidential and are prohibited from using it for any other purpose.

4. Data Security:
We have implemented measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, please note that no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies:
We may use cookies and other tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience and gather information about how you interact with our website. This information is used to analyse trends, administer the website, track users’ movements, and gather demographic information.

6. Changes to this Privacy Policy:
We reserve the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time without prior notice. Any changes will be posted on this page, and it is your responsibility to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

If you have any questions or concerns about our Privacy Policy, please contact us on 01200 428 102