Welcome to the section of our website which contains details of the way in which we calculate our professional charges for representing you in relation to certain matters.
PROBATE
Our charges for applying for a Grant of Probate and subsequently dealing with the administration of the deceased’s estate are based principally on the amount of time spent dealing with the case.
For the purpose of calculating our costs they are based on an hourly rate of between £150.00 plus VAT or £250.00 plus VAT depending on the complexity of issues involved, the extent of the deceased’s estate and the level of experience of the fee-earner dealing with the matter.
The work carried out includes; meeting with you and obtaining your instructions, considering any paperwork received from you, corresponding with financial institutions and government bodies regarding the assets and corresponding with debtors regarding debts/liabilities of the estate, dealing with any responses received and collating information in order to prepare draft IHT return forms, obtaining valuations where necessary and preparing draft IHT return forms and a draft application for probate, submitting the same with payment of the requisite fee and considering the Grant as soon as this has been received, thereafter dealing with the administration of the estate following receipt of the Grant if your instructions are to do so and finalising matters on behalf of the estate, reporting to you throughout and dealing with any queries you may have.
Although the circumstances of each matter are different and no two cases will be the same, in our experience and in the case of an estate comprising of say, one property and a small number of bank statements and investments, the total costs are likely to be in the region of £4,000 - £5,000 (excluding VAT charged at 20%) and disbursements (see below). Where a deceased’s estate does not comprise of a property and there are a small number of bank accounts/investments and liabilities the total costs are likely to be in the region of £2,000 - £3,000 (excluding VAT charged at 20%) and disbursements (see below). This is provided there are no unanticipated complications or unforeseen additional work. For a larger estate comprising more than one property and a large number of bank accounts/investments and multiple beneficiaries the total costs are likely to be in the region of £7,000 - £10,000 (excluding VAT charged at 20%).
The usual disbursements payable will include a £155 Probate Application Fee, £1.50 for each additional copy of the Grant plus additional fees if other documents such as a marriage certificates, copy grants, copy Wills, HM Land Registry copies etc need to be obtained. Disbursements are fees payable to third parties on behalf of the estate and VAT is not charged on these items. If it is necessary to place a Trustee Act Notice in the Law Gazette there will be a fee payable. Details can be found by clicking on the following link;
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/wills-and-probate/place-a-deceased-estates-notice
Typically, a straightforward estate from instruction to applying for the issue of the Grant will take approximately 3 – 6 months to complete. Overall, the whole process including the administration can be expected to take between 6 - 12 months although these timescales may be affected or delayed due to matters outside our control or unforeseen events such as the current Coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions presently in place as a result.
DEBT RECOVERY
Our charges for representing clients in Court proceedings are based principally on the amount of time spent dealing with the case. For the purpose of calculating the amount of costs we charge, these charges are based on an hourly rate of between £150.00 plus VAT or £250.00 plus VAT depending on the complexity of issues involved and the level of experience of the fee-earner dealing with the matter.
Disbursements are costs related to the matter that are payable to third parties, such as Court fees. The amount of the Court issue fee is calculated by reference to the amount being claimed. Details are given on the following website;
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fees-in-the-civil-and-family-courts-main-fees-ex50
No VAT is payable on these items. Other disbursements include payment of fees to Counsel for advising and representing you at Court hearings. VAT is payable on Counsel’s fees.
The work carried out includes; taking your initial instructions, considering the papers and advising on the merits on the information available, carrying out searches if necessary, preparing and amending a letter before action, receiving payment if the debt is uncontested and sending it to you, if no response is received and the debt is not paid, preparing and issuing a County Court Claim on your behalf, applying to enter judgment in default where no acknowledgment of service or defence is filed, considering with you the action to be taken to enforce the judgment; whether to commence proceedings for an attachment of earnings order, third party debt order, charging order or to serve a statutory demand or commence bankruptcy proceedings.
Although the circumstances of each matter are different, and no two cases will be the same, in our experience and in the case of a matter where there is for example, an unpaid invoice and a letter before action produces a successful outcome in that the debt is paid in response the total costs are likely to be between £250 - £500 (excluding VAT charged at 20%). Where it is necessary to issue a Court Claim and no Acknowledgment of Service/Defence is filed and judgment in default is applied for the total costs are likely to be in region of £1,500 - £2,000 (excluding VAT charged at 20%) plus disbursements – a Court issue fee which can be calculated by reference to the amount being claimed. No VAT is charged on Court fees. In circumstances where it is necessary to issue a Court Claim and subsequently a judgment is obtained, and it becomes necessary to take action to enforce the judgment because it remains unpaid then depending on the course of action that needs to be taken the costs will be more than the estimate given above.
If it becomes necessary to issue a Court Claim it may take 6 – 12 months from the date on which you instruct us until a Hearing for Trial takes place. The timescale depends on how long it will take the Court to list the matter for a hearing and the Court may have a backlog of cases waiting to be dealt with. If payment is received from the Defendant in response to a letter before action the matter will be resolved within a number of weeks from the date on which you instruct us or within the timescale for payment set out in the letter. This is just an estimate and we will be able to give a more accurate timescale once we have more information and once the matter progresses.
EMPLOYMENT
Our charges for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal are based principally on the amount of time spent dealing with the case. For the purpose of calculating our costs they are based on an hourly rate of between £150.00 plus VAT or £250.00 plus VAT depending on the complexity of issues involved and the level of experience of the fee-earner dealing with the matter.
Disbursements are costs related to the matter that are payable to third parties. Since June 2020 no fees are payable to the Employment Tribunal. Other disbursements include payment of fees to Counsel for advising and representing you at Employment Tribunal hearings. VAT is payable on Counsel’s fees. Counsel’s fees for advising may range from £250.00 plus VAT to £1,000.00 plus VAT depending on the complexity of the advice required and the extent of documentation to be considered. This is just an estimate and we will be able to give a more accurate estimate once we have more information and once the matter progresses as no two cases are the same.
The work carried out includes; taking your initial instructions, considering the papers and advising on the merits and likely compensation on the information available, entering into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory, preparing the claim form or response, considering or advising on claim or response from other party, exploring and negotiating settlement throughout, preparing or considering a schedule of loss, preparing for and arranging representation at preliminary hearing, exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents, taking instructions and drafting and amending witness statements, obtaining instructions and advising on the other party’s witness statements, agreeing a list of issues and chronology, instructing Counsel and preparing for final hearing, obtaining advice from Counsel either at the outset or at key points during the process, corresponding with you and other parties and reporting to you throughout and dealing with any queries you may have.
Our pricing for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal;
- Simple case; £1,500 - £2,500 (excluding VAT charged at 20%)
- Medium complexity case; £2,500 - £5,000 (excluding VAT charged at 20%)
- High complexity case; £5,000 - £10,000 (excluding VAT charged at 20%)
The estimates above include disbursements such as fees for instructing Counsel to advise and represent you at Employment Tribunal hearings.
The following is a list of factors that could make a case more complex;
- The number of witnesses.
- The amount of documents to be considered and discussed.
- Allegations of discrimination linked to the dismissal.
- If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or provide further information about an existing claim.
- Defending claims brought by litigants in person.
- Making or defending a costs application.
How long will my case take to conclude;
If it becomes necessary to issue/respond to an Employment Tribunal claim it may take 6 – 12 months from the date on which you instruct us until a Final Hearing takes place. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation then the matter may be resolved within a number of weeks from the date on which you instruct us. This is just an estimate and we will be able to give a more accurate timescale once we have more information and once the matter progresses.
RESIDENTIAL CONVEYANCING
Our charges for representing you in relation to the purchase of a property will be £1,400.00 plus VAT.
The following disbursements (related to the purchase of your property and payable to third parties) are also payable;
- Stamp Duty Land Tax (the amount will be dependent on status and purchase price)
- Land Registration fees (the amount will be dependent on the purchase price and if electronic registration is available)
- Completion monies transfer charge £38.40 including administration fee
- Land Registry search fees £10.00
- Notice of Assignment leasehold property only – amount differs from matter to matter and depends on the wording of the lease
Our charges for representing you in relation to the sale of your property will be £1,400.00 plus VAT.
The following disbursements (related to the sale of your property and payable to third parties) are also payable;
- Land Registry £8.00 copy
