Fees & Funding

Probate

We can help you through this difficult process by obtaining the Grant of Probate on your behalf. We confirm that a solicitor will be principally responsible for the provision of our services and will be your primary point of contact however  in order to help minimise our costs this firm may use staff who are not solicitors but are supervised.

How much does this service cost?

Any estimate provided by us will depend on the estate’s assets and liabilities.

Applying for the Grant Only

We would anticipate that applying for the grant only will take between 2 – 3 hours work at £200 per hour plus VAT at 20%. Total costs including VAT = £480 -£720.

Collecting details of the estate’s assets/liabilities, applying for the Grant, discharging any liabilities and distributing the assets

We anticipate this will take between four and 20 hours at £200 per hour plus VAT at 20%. Total costs including VAT = £960-£4800. 

Please note 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.

The estimate applies to estates where:

• There is a valid will
• There is no more than one property
• There are no more than 6 bank or building society accounts
• There are no other intangible assets
• There are no more than 6 beneficiaries
• There are no disputes affecting the estate.  Please note if arise disputes arise, dealing with these disputes are likely to lead to an increase in costs
• There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
• There are no claims made against the estate 

Additional Costs – Disbursements

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.

Disbursements in addition to our fee:

• Probate application fee £155
  Office copies £1.50p per office copy
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2+VAT per beneficiary)
  £100 post in the London Gazette – protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors
  £100 post 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 share holdings (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

Finally we confirm that dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included in the fee estimate set out above.

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6-9 months.  Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 6-12 weeks.  Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 4-8 weeks.  Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which can take between 6 weeks to 4 months. Any transfer of assets can take from a number of weeks to 2-3 months depending on the nature of the asset being transferred.

Employment

We confirm that a solicitor with the firm will be principally responsible for the provision of our services and will be your primary point of contact however  in order to help minimise our costs this firm may use staff who are not solicitors but are supervised.

Without knowing the full details of your case, it is difficult to estimate this firm’s legal fees bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal claim.

However, as a general guide we can confirm the following:

• Simple Case – £2,000 – £3,000 (excluding VAT)
• Medium Complexity Case – £3,000 – £5,000 (excluding VAT)
• High Complexity Case – £5,000 – £15,000 (excluding VAT)

Factors that could make a claim more complex include (not an exhaustive list):

• The number and/or intricacies of witnesses and supporting documents.
• If a matter includes allegations of discrimination connected to the dismissal.
• If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim including, for example, a claim for dismissal relating to family related reasons (such as pregnancy, maternity leave, adoption leave or shared parental leave) or dismissal relating to whistleblowing.
• If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim.
• If it is necessary to make or defend a costs application.
• If a matter involves defending claims that are brought by litigants in person.
• If a matter involves complex preliminary issues, such as evidencing a disability where this is not agreed or is otherwise contested by the parties.

How to fund a claim?

Many of our clients have the benefit of legal expenses insurance. It is sometimes provided as part of the buildings/contents insurance policy or professional association.

We can help you submit an application to your insurer to cover our legal fees for acting on your behalf. As soon as we sign the insurance agreement with your insurers, funding will be in place. The benefit of insurance cover is that you will get to keep 100% of your damages or settlement.

Alternatively, we will agree a fixed fee with you for necessary work and we will not go beyond this fixed fee without your agreement.

Where there is no legal expense insurance and no fixed fee agreement in place, on occasion we may offer you a Damages Based Agreement (DBA) with us whereby you agree to pay 35% of the damages you win (or the settlement reached) plus payment of any disbursements incurred on your behalf. A DBA will protect you from having to pay legal fees in the event you do not win or successfully settle your claim. Where it is necessary to assess the viability of a case before determining the suitability of a DBA as a funding method, we will aim to do so within 10 working days for a pre-agreed fixed fee ranging from £100.00 to £750.00 plus VAT. We will of course explain all the options available to you to ensure complete transparency from the outset.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs relating to your matter that are essentially payable to third parties such as counsel or medical fees. We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Counsel fees (where applicable. i.e. if it is necessary to appoint Counsel to attend a Tribunal Hearing) will vary based on the experience of the advocate and amount of preparation involved. Generally, we would estimate Counsel’s fees to be between £750.00 and £2,500 (excluding VAT) depending upon whom you decide you wish to represent you.

Key stages

The fees set out above cover all work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:

• Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on the merits and likely compensation level. Any preliminary advice on merits and potential settlement figures will be subject to change and ongoing review as the case progresses.
• Advising on and supporting the pre-claim conciliation process.
• Preparing a claim or response on your behalf.
• Reviewing and advising on a claim or response from the other party.
• Exploring and negotiating settlement throughout the process.
• Preparing or considering a schedule of loss
• Preparing for (and attending, as appropriate) a preliminary hearing.
• Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents
• Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing content of statements.
• Preparing bundles and documents, as appropriate.
• Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements.
• Agreeing a list of issues and preparing relevant chronologies.
• Preparation and attendance at final hearing and/or instructing Counsel.

The stages listed above are by no means exhaustive and are provided as an illustration only. Equally, in the event that some of the stages are not required (i.e. you may decide to handle certain stages yourself or certain elements may not be necessary) the fee will of course be reduced.

How long will the matter take?

The duration of your case from the point you provide instructions through to conclusion will largely depend on the stage at which your case is resolved. For example, if a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take 1 to 5 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a final hearing, your case is likely to take 6 to 12 months. This is just an estimate and we will of course be able to provide a more accurate timescale as the matter progresses.

Undisputed/Undefended Money Debts – Court Claims

The costs quote below apply where your claim is in relation to an unpaid debt which is not dispute and enforcement action is not needed.

If the other party disputes your claim at any point, we will discuss any additional work required and provide you with revised advice about costs as necessary, which could be on a fixed fee (e.g if a one off letter is required), or an hourly rate if more extensive work is needed.

Anyone wishing to proceed with a claim should note that:

• You may not be able to recover our legal fees from the debtor.
• Interest and compensation may take the debt into a higher banding, with a higher cost
• The costs quoted above do not include matters where enforcement action, such as the bailiff, is needed to collect your debt

The fees quoted above include:

• Taking your instructions and reviewing documentation
• Undertaking appropriate searches (these may incur additional fees which will need to be paid in addition to the quote fixed fee).
• Sending a letter before action
• Receiving payment and sending on to you or, if the debt is not paid, drafting and issuing claim
• Where no Acknowledgement of Service or Defence is received, applying to the Court to enter Judgment in default
• When Judgment in default is received, write to the other side to request payment
• If payment is not received within 21 days, providing you with advice on next steps and likely additional costs

Matters usually take 8 -26 weeks from receipt of instructions from you to receipt of payment from the other side, depending on whether or not it is necessary to issue a claim.  This is on the basis that the other side pays promptly on receipt of Judgment in default.

If enforcement action is needed, the matter will take longer to resolve.