Professional Services

Meeting Your Needs

Wills and probate

We can offer guidance on all aspects of wealth management – inheritances, successions, trusts, wills and estate planning. We also can help with the creation on your Lasting Power of Attorney and probate.

We estimate our fees as per the following:

Basic single Will - £175 + Vat
2 x Mirror Wills - £300 + Vat
Life interest trust Mirror Will - £450 + Vat
Deed of Variation - £500 - £1000 + Vat
Lasting Power of Attorney for Property and Financial and Health and Welfare - £200 + Vat for each power. Disbursements at OPG - £82 (or less if on qualifying benefits or income less than £12,000 per annum).

Probate

We offer fixed fee packages where only a Grant of Representation from the Court is required based on the value of the gross estate:-

£800 plus VAT up to £325,000;

£1,250 plus VAT up to £500,000;

£2,500 plus VAT up to £750,000.

Alternatively, where a full administration service is sought, then our fees are based on an hourly charging rate of £260 per hour plus VAT with the average administration taking between 12 to 24 hours to complete at a cost of between £3,000 and £6,000 plus VAT. This service covers assisting in the obtaining of the Grant of Representation from the Court, the realisation of the assets and settlement of the liabilities of the estate and in the distribution of the net estate between the beneficiaries.

The above assumes the deceased's income tax position to require no further input with HMRC. If this is not the case, then an income tax return is likely to be required and we would normally recommend that this be undertaken by an accountant.

On occasions, where a different charging structure has been agreed at the time of the writing of the Will of the deceased, this will take precedence.

In addition to the above, the estate will be responsible for:-

(a) Any Inheritance Tax payable;

(b) Any disbursements payable including (but not limited to) the Probate Court fee (£273), Bankruptcy search fees (£3), advertising under Section 27 of the Trust of Land Act 1925 (£200 to £400) and any valuation fees (£200 to £300).

Where VAT is referred to above, it is charged at the rate applicable from time to time as declared by HMRC. The current rate is 20%.

The likely timescale for the Grant only service is six months and for full administration service, 12 to 18 months depending upon the complexity of the estate.

Conveyancing

We deal with residential and commercial conveyancing including freehold and leasehold. We can also assist with transfer of ownership, equity release, re-mortgaging and equity release. We are proud to be recognised as a quality standard for residential conveyancing– the Conveyancing Quality Scheme seal of approval.

We usually charge on the basis of a fixed price ranging from £700 - £2,500 depending on the time we expect to spend working on your transaction and the potential complexity of work involved. Our fee assumes that:

(a) this is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise including, for example, (but not limited to) a defect in the title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction;

(b) this is the assignment of an existing Lease and is not the grant of a new Lease;

(d) all parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation.

(e) no indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are required.

The following disbursements may apply:

Search fees: in the region of £600 for a full residential search pack. The cost of the pack will vary depending on where in the country the property is located (this figure includes VAT where applicable).
Bankruptcy search fee: £2 per person + Vat.
Land registry priority search: £3 + Vat.
HM Land Registry fee: between £40 - 910 depending on the type of application and whether the property is registered or unregistered.

Where VAT is referred to above, it is charged at the rate applicable from time to time as declared by HMRC. The current rate is 20%.

The main stages to a conveyancing transaction are as follows:-

Obtaining client instructions and initial paperwork.
Preparing or reviewing draft contractual documentation.
Raising or replying to enquiries.
Undertaking searches (purchase only).
Exchanging contracts and setting a date for legal completion.

Sending and receiving funds and releasing keys on the completion date.
Dealing with Stamp Duty Land Tax and registration at Land Registry (purchase only).

A typical timescale for the conveyancing process is between 8 to 12 weeks but this can vary considerably depending upon the circumstances of each matter (e.g. in the event of a long chain of conveyancing transactions with many buyers and sellers, these dates can become longer in order to arrive at dates acceptable to all parties).

Family and Matrimonial

Ending a marriage or civil partnership can be highly stressful. Apart from emotional issues there are practical matters that have to be dealt with – such as finances, property or business interests. We can help with your divorce and financial needs.

Free/fixed fee first appointment - Subject to availably, we are able to offer you a free initial appointment to discuss your matrimonial situation (limited to 15 minutes duration).

If you then wish to proceed with the consultation then a charge will apply of £56.25 per 15 minutes plus Vat.

So, for example, if the total consultation lasts 30 minutes the charge of £56.25 + Vat will apply. For a consultation of 45 minutes the charge will be £112.50 + Vat.

After this consultation, if you decide you would like to take the matters further with us then we can help you with that.

We can then offer you a range of fixed fees in relation to divorce and for dealing with financial matters arising from the divorce. Please note that the free initial appointment/fixed fee first appointment does not cover the cost of any follow up work such as writing to your spouse/civil partner.

Divorce petition (uncontested): for a fixed fee of £700 + Vat we will deal with the following:

A meeting or a number of meetings with a solicitor up to 1 hour.
Preparation of your divorce petition and supporting documentation.
Preparation of documents to apply for the decree absolute.
Preparation of documents for the application for the decree absolute.
Corresponding with the court and your spouse/civil partner and his/her solicitors where necessary in connection with the divorce.
Keeping you informed as to the progress of the case throughout.

Please note the following are not included in the fixed fee:

If the divorce becomes contested by your spouse/civil partner.
Dealing with a divorce with a foreign element.
Dealing with a divorce based on adultery where a co-respondent is named in the divorce petition.
Making changes to your divorce petition after it has been issued by the court.
Proceedings or correspondence to resolve financial matters.
Proceedings or correspondence relating to children.
The personal service of any documents on your spouse/civil partner.
The cost of any work in locating your spouse.
Obtaining a duplicate copy of your marriage certificate if you are unable to provide us with the original.
Any court fees including the fee for issuing the divorce petition (currently £593) but note that you may qualify for remission or exemption of this fee.