Wills
A single Will starts from £900 + VAT at 20% and £1,200 plus VAT at 20% for two Wills in mirror form (husband and wife). Once we have had an initial conversation with you, we will be able to provide a clearer idea of costs depending on your circumstances and what you wish to achieve.
Our prices are based on our legal knowledge, our experience but most importantly on the way we work with our clients. We take the time to talk to you to understand your situation and what you are trying to achieve. We tailor our advice to your personal needs and never adopt a ‘one size fits all’.
“This is the third time that I have asked a firm to review / prepare a Will for me but Barry was the first lawyer who took the time properly to investigate and understand my assets – and to make appropriate recommendations. The others seemed content simply to ensure that the will worked – not how it worked!” Simon Clarke.
Probate
Our approach to probate work and estate administration is based upon the quality and service that we pride ourselves in providing, and our pricing structure reflects that. We focus on giving you a great service, with experienced and well-trained lawyers who understand the work and have the expertise to guide you through the process, and to be able to handle any complexity which may arise. It is for these reasons that we achieved The Law Society’s prestigious award for “Excellence in Private Client Practice” in 2015 and we continue to maintain those high standards.
We believe in doing things differently, and the service we provide is genuinely personal to you, which is why we consider each matter individually, based on your needs, attitudes to risk and the timescales that you wish to achieve. We will consider your matter and provide you with a choice of pricing options to suit your requirements.
The illustration below gives you some idea of the sort of cost you can expect for a simple probate matter, based on the criteria listed, and priced on the basis of the number of hours that we spend:
Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets
If we handle the full process for you, and the following factors apply:
- There is a valid Will and no codicils
- There is no more than one property
- There are no more than 3 bank or building society accounts
- There are no other investments
- There are 1-2 beneficiaries
- There are no more than 2 UK resident Executors who are able to act
- There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
- There is no Inheritance Tax payable
- There is no other reason for the executors to submit a full inheritance tax account to HMRC
- There are no claims made against the estate.
Then as a guide you could expect that estates of this nature will take between 20 to 30 hours work at £300 (+VAT at 20%) per hour, and therefore based on an hourly rate pricing structure, costs would be estimated to be between £6,000 – £9,000 (+VAT at 20%).
The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end.
Disbursements in addition to this fee (no VAT payable except where shown):
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
- Probate application fee of £300. If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £1.50 per copy, and as a rule you will need one copy per asset
- Land Registry office copy entries of title to property and plan (£6)
- Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary)
- £80 + VAT at 20% Statutory Advertisement in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
- Approximately £100 + VAT at 20% (depending on local area newspaper charges) Statutory Advertisement in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.
Potential additional costs
- If there is no will or the estate consists of any investments such as shareholdings (stocks and bonds) there is likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending 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.
As part of our fee we will:
- Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate lawyer to work on your matter
- Identify the legally appointed executors and beneficiaries
- Accurately identify and value the assets and liabilities of the estate
- Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require
- Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application
- Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
- Draft a legal oath or Statement of Truth for the Personal Representatives to swear/sign
- Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
- Obtain the Probate and send one copy to each Executor
- Collect and distribute all assets in the estate
- Provide appropriate Estate Accounts
How long will this take?
On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 9 – 12 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 6 – 9 months. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 2 – 4 months. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 1 -2 months.
Initial Meeting
Our charges for an initial meeting which includes an initial review of the paperwork followed by a letter setting out our pricing options is £500 plus VAT at 20%.
For any estates outside of the above range, our charges would be different from those quoted above, and in many cases, we can offer other pricing options, for example fixed fees, which provide you with certainty and peace of mind. Please contact us directly for a personal quotation relevant to your situation and we would be very pleased to assist.
People who may work on your case: