FEES & PRICING

For Probate matters, we divide the work into 2 stages to which a 2-staged pricing policy applies:

1. PREPARING THE APPLICATION FOR THE GRANT OF PROBATE.

The fees we charge will be affected by the requirements of the client, the circumstances of the estate and the consequent amount of work to be done.

The following estimate assumes that we will handle the full application process for you and that:

· There is a valid will

· There is no more than one property

· There are no more than two bank or building society accounts

· There are no other intangible assets

· There are between 1 and 6 beneficiaries

· 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 (IHT) payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC

· There are no claims made against the estate.

By handling the full application, we shall:

· Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor to work on your matter

· Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries

· Accurately identify the type of application for a Grant of Representation you will require

· Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application

· Complete the Application and the HMRC forms relevant to the estate

· Draft statements of truth you to sign

· Make the application to the Court on your behalf

· Obtain the Grant and send two sealed copies to you

On average our fees to obtain the Grant of Probate range from £600 – £2,000 (+ VAT) and disbursements*.

Where the estate is more complex and of higher value, and a full IHT return is required, our fees will often increase to a higher range of between £1,000 – £5,000 (+ VAT).

Where an estate is complex or of high value or where there is no will or other circumstances exist that require substantially additional time to address, it is likely that our fees will be higher than the ranges given above. We will, whenever it is practicable to do so, seek to offer and agree a fixed fee for work on such complex and/or high value estates in order to ensure clarity and certainty to the client, but if the true complexity of a case only becomes apparent once more information becomes available, we can provide you with a more accurate estimate of costs at that time.

Disbursements

PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY NECESSARY DISBURSEMENTS (such as Court fees) ARE PAYABLE IN ADDITION TO OUR FEES (PLUS VAT IF APPLICABLE).

*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 and these are likely to include:

· Probate Court application fee (we will advise you of the relevant fee when providing our estimate of fees for the preparation of the Application)

· Land Registry office copy entries of the title and title plan for any property in the estate, £7 plus VAT per document

· Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£6 per beneficiary plus VAT)

· Statutory advertising posts in The London Gazette and a local newspaper – to help to protect against unexpected claims on the estate, the cost of which will be notified to you

· Bank Transfer Charges (per transfer) of £40 plus VAT in respect of substantial payments made including distributions

Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included. Please see the relevant section of our web site which provides costs information for the sale of a property or properties in the deceased’s estate.

It may be necessary (for example to comply with the requirements of HMRC) to obtain a professional valuation of property or certain assets such as shares, or expensive items of jewellery the cost of which can vary significantly depending upon the nature of the asset. We will advise you of the likely cost before any commitment is made.

We can provide more detailed information and a more detailed estimate of the costs once more information about the estate and its assets and liabilities has been obtained.

How long will it take?

On average it takes between 2 to 4 months from the date of instruction to the point of being able to apply for a Grant of Probate and then a further 6 to 8 weeks before the Grant is received from the Court.

2. CONCLUDING ADMINISTRATION OF THE ESTATE.

The client will have the option to cease their instructions once the Grant of Representation has been obtained or continue to instruct us with conducting the administration of the estate. The administration of the estate includes collecting in and then distributing the assets of the estate and paying all of the liabilities of the deceased.

If we are so instructed, we do so on the basis of a budget which is pre-agreed which will normally be progressed on a time-cost basis to which the following hourly rates apply, in addition to the earlier fees applicable to obtaining the Grant of Probate.

Our current standard charge out rates for work on a time-cost basis are:

Partners, Consultants and Senior Solicitors: between £270 - £300 (+ VAT) per hour;

Associate Solicitors: between £180 and £240 (+ VAT) per hour;

Trainee solicitors: between £120 and £150 (+ VAT) per hour;

Paralegals (including case managers, legal executives and administrative assistants): between £90 and £150 (+ VAT) per hour.

How long will it take?

The time required and resulting costs will depend on the complexity of issues relating to the estate and upon its value including, for example, whether or not it is taxable or excepted from IHT and the liquidity and location of the estate assets. If there are matters which arise during the course of the administration which were not anticipated at the time or our initial instructions, we will ask the client to agree an uplift in the budget to accommodate our best estimate of the additional work to be required.

The Team carrying out the work:

The work is carried out under the supervision of an Associate Solicitor with over 10 years’ relevant experience. The supervising solicitor will be assisted by other members of the team (both qualified lawyers and paralegals) appropriate to the degree of expertise and experience required to deal with the issues arising and according to the detail agreed with you at the outset which shall be set out in the Letter of Engagement.

Where there are technical issues involved which require the assistance of external experts (including barristers) we obtain a fee estimate from the external expert and the client will have the opportunity to review and agree the fee estimate before the expert is engaged.

On average completion of the administration can be expected to take a further 6-12 months for a simple case following receipt of the Grant but this again will depend upon the complexities of the estate and the work that must be done in consequence.

We provide advice and assistance to anyone wishing to make a will, put in place a Lasting Power of Attorney or administer the estate of a deceased person.

Wills are tailored to individual circumstances. We take detailed instructions in writing before providing an estimate of fees for the work involved. The estimate will reflect our assessment of the amount of time we anticipate having to spend to draft the will and will be agreed before we proceed.

We do not provide tax advice. We invariably ask clients to ensure that they have the benefit of tax advice before instructing us.

Lasting Powers of Attorney are prepared against a fixed fee which will be agreed before we commence work.

We operate a 3-stage process:

1. An initial letter sent to remind the creditor that the debt is owing, the cost of which is limited to £50.00 (plus VAT at 20%).

2. A formal letter before claim (LBC) which complies with the Civil Procedure Rules, and which constitutes the first pre-action stage of debt recovery, the cost of which will be limited to £100.00 (plus VAT at 20%) unless agreed otherwise, to include sending the LBC, providing a copy to you, and advising you of the debtor’s response (if any). If we are able and if your contract with the debtor allows us to, we will add this cost and any interest to the debt claimed; and

3. The issue of the debt claim through the County Court or the High Court.

If the debtor does not respond to the LBC an application for a County Court Judgement in default can be applied for.

Alternatively, should the other party dispute your claim at any point, we will discuss and agree with you any further work required and provide you with revised information about costs if necessary, which could be on a fixed fee (e.g. if a one-off letter is required), or on a time-costed hourly rate if more extensive work is needed. In each case, our agreement will be governed by a Letter of Engagement (incorporating our standard terms and conditions of business) and a Schedule setting out the scope of the work we do and the costs estimate.

Our current charging rates for work on a time-cost basis are:

Partners, Consultants and Senior Solicitors: between £270 - £300 (+VAT) per hour;

Associate Solicitors: between £180 and £240 (+VAT) per hour;

Trainee solicitors: between £120 and £150 (+VAT) per hour;

Paralegals (including case managers, legal executives and administrative assistants): between £90 and £150 (+VAT) per hour.

Stages 1 and 2 will often be carried out by paralegals or trainee solicitors for those matters which are straightforward, but all the work we do will be supervised and signed off by a duly qualified and experienced solicitor before any letters are sent out.

Where the matter proceeds to stage 3 the work is undertaken primarily by a Partner, Senior Solicitor or Consultant in each case specialising in Dispute Resolution.

Where there are technical issues involved which require the assistance of external experts (including barristers) we obtain a fee estimate from the external expert and the client will have the opportunity to review and agree the fee estimate before the expert is engaged.

The following costs apply where your claim is in relation to an unpaid invoice which is not disputed and in respect of which enforcement action (such as appointment of bailiffs or registration of a charge against property etc) is not needed.

Debt value Court fee* Our fee (incl. VAT) Total

Up to £5,000 £205 £240 £445

£5,001 - £10,000 £455 £337.50 £792.50

£10,001 - £50,000 5% value of the claimed sum £375 (or 5% value of the claim) Between £875 and £5,000

* Please note that disbursements such as Court Fees are outside our control and may increase even after an estimate is first given but before your matter is resolved.

Anyone wishing to proceed with a claim should note that:

• The VAT element of our fee cannot be reclaimed from your debtor. We will though seek to recover as much of your costs as we can

within the scope of your contract and the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

• Interest and compensation may take the debt into a higher banding, with a higher cost.

• The costs quoted above are not for matters where enforcement action, such as the bailiff, is needed to collect your debt.

Our fee in these undisputed cases includes:

• Taking your instructions and reviewing documentation

• Undertaking appropriate searches

• Sending a letter before action

• Receiving payment and sending onto you, or if the debt is not paid, drafting and issuing claim

• Where no Acknowledgment of Service or Defence is received, applying to the court to enter Judgement in default

• When Judgement in default in received, write to the other side to request payment

• If payment is not received within 30 days, providing you with advice on next steps and likely costs

How long will it take?

In such undisputed cases, matters usually take between 4-8 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 and the speed with which the court is able to deal with the application to enter Judgement in default. This time estimate is also on the basis that the other side pays promptly on receipt of Judgement in default. If enforcement action is needed, the matter will take longer to resolve and involve further costs.

The above charges relate to dealing with the procedure for dealing with undisputed debts where we are acting on a fixed fee basis.

Specifically they do not include:

• dealing with any dispute, at whatever stage it may arise;

• dealing with court proceedings following a defence or counterclaim being received;

• dealing with an application to set aside a statutory demand;

• negotiations on your behalf;

• any legal advice you may require (save where you have requested the fixed fee advice);

• reviewing any documentation (save where you have requested the fixed fee advice);

• entering into lengthy correspondence; or

• monitoring and collecting payments under an instalment plan.

If any of the above actions are necessary, such will be charged on a time-cost basis at an hourly rate of between £90 and £300 plus VAT depending on the seniority of the lawyer or personnel concerned (see above). Time is recorded in 6 minute units and work such as short letters, telephone attendances, etc. which take fewer than 6 minutes will be charged as one unit.

As with most litigation, when dealing with a disputed or defended action, we will review the matter generally and provide you with a fee estimate for the costs involved in taking the matter to a full trial. It is difficult in such cases to assess, from the outset, what the overall costs will be. We operate on the basis that a budget is agreed for each stage of the work and where the limit of the budget is reached a review is carried out which allows the client to either: cease their instructions without incurring any further costs (albeit costs to date will be invoiced); or continue on the basis of an uplift in the budget.

Private clients are advised to check the terms of their insurance policies to see whether they have legal expenses insurance. Where they do have legal expenses insurance they may wish to discuss with their insurers whether they continue to instruct us or take advice from one of the firms of solicitors on the insurer’s approved panel.

The Team carrying out the work:

You will be helped by a very experienced Senior Solicitor with expertise in disputes resolution, William John Marshall, (currently head of our Dispute Resolution Team) who has been qualified in excess of 30 years and who has spent most of that time specialising in dispute resolution and debt collection matters, who will also supervise all other personnel, our lead case manager and such other personnel as are required to progress the particular case, depending on the necessary level of technical knowledge and experience.

Case managers are not authorised to give legal advice but are responsible for the co-ordination of the case.

As this website indicates, we provide a very full range of services to businesses of all shapes and sizes, both national and international. We have not attempted to set out a detailed list pricing each service as the diversity in your circumstances and requirements will necessarily make a ‘one size fits all’ approach as unhelpful as it is inaccurate.

To obtain detailed information as to the legal costs of your instructions, we will provide to you a detailed and itemised budget estimate before you are required to confirm your instructions to us.

Wherever possible we will work to a mutually agreed budget which will not be exceeded without your agreement. It may be that the matter becomes protracted or, by the addition of further instructions, becomes more complicated than envisaged at the outset which will have a knock-on effect on our estimated initial budget. If we come to see that the costs will escalate beyond the initial budget we will advise you. You will then have the option to agree an uplift in the budget or – if you wish to – to discontinue our instructions. In any event, our policy is not to deliver a bill which exceeds an agreed budget figure unless our client has agreed the uplift beforehand. If we can complete the work for less than estimate, we will of course do so.

Where it has been agreed that we will work on a time basis our current charging rates are set out below.

There may also be additional disbursements to charge for such things as Companies House fees, counsel’s opinions and stamp duty on share purchases. If disbursements are anticipated in any matter, these will be notified to you for agreement before the costs are incurred.

VAT at the prevailing rate will be charged in addition on all fees and disbursements.

In certain cases it may be possible to agree a fixed fee for a limited scope of work, but as a client may often go on to seek further work of a more time-consuming or complex nature than understood at the time of the initial instruction, we generally charge on a time-cost basis.

Our competitive current standard charge out rates for work on a time-cost basis are:

Partners, Consultants and Senior Solicitors: between £270 - £300 (+ VAT) per hour;

Associate Solicitors: between £180 and £240 (+ VAT) per hour;

Trainee solicitors: between £120 and £150 (+ VAT) per hour;

Paralegals (including case managers, legal executives and administrative assistants): between £90 and £150 (+ VAT) per hour.

Where we are charging on a time-cost basis, we will charge in minimum units of 6 minutes (1/10th of an hour) for the work that we do. VAT at the prevailing rate will be charged in addition.

We provide advice and assistance for employers and employees.

Our services include a fixed fee initial meeting (face to face or on-line) to identify the nature and scope of what work might be needed. The charge for this initial meeting will be fixed on a time-cost basis according to our standard charge out rates before the meeting is held.

Our current standard charge out rates for work on a time-cost basis are:

Partners, Consultants and Senior Solicitors: between £270 - £300 (+ VAT) per hour;

Associate Solicitors: between £180 and £240 (+ VAT) per hour;

Trainee solicitors: between £120 and £150 (+ VAT) per hour;

Paralegals (including case managers, legal executives and administrative assistants): between £90 and £150 (+ VAT) per hour.

The initial meeting allows us to analyse the client’s requirements and to agree the scope of the work we will do before proceeding. In each case a budget is prepared based on our assessment of how much time is needed and who is best to deliver the service.

A time-cost basis is applied. Preparation, drafting and advice on employment contracts and staff handbooks will usually cost between £1,080 to £3,240 (+ VAT) to complete.

For preparation, negotiation of and advising on Settlement Agreements, where the client is the employer, costs normally range between £1,080 and £2,160 (+ VAT). Where the client is the employee, the employer’s agreed contribution will normally cover the cost of the independent advice. If an excess needs to be charged and the employer will not meet this, a further invoice for the excess shall be agreed with and made to the employee once the matter has developed to require this. This rarely proves necessary as most Settlement Agreements can be concluded quickly and without incurring excessive costs. This work will always be carried out by a solicitor and, in more complex cases, by a Senior Solicitor with more than 10 years of experience negotiating Settlement Agreements.

In all cases, the lawyers assisting you will have more than 10 years of experience in their respective fields.

Our pricing for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal:

Simple case: £8,000-£10,000 (+ VAT)

Medium complexity case: £10,000-£15,000 (+ VAT)

High complexity case: £15,000-£25,000 (+ VAT)

We charge on a time-cost basis for which the applicable hourly rates will vary depending on the member of staff dealing with your matter. The hourly charge out rates for differing staff are set out above. The seniority of the members of staff dealing with your case will depend on its complexity. We will discuss this with you when you instruct us.

Factors that could make a case more complex:

• If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim

• Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person

• Making or defending a costs application

• Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties)

• The number of witnesses and documents

• If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. if you are dismissed after blowing the whistle on your employer

• Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal

There will be an additional charge for attending a Tribunal Hearing of £3,000 per day (+ VAT). Generally, we would allow 1-4 days depending on the complexity of your case. Occasionally, more complex cases will require longer.

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. We invariably ask you to pay money on account for disbursements. Such necessary disbursements are likely to include:

Counsel's fees estimated between £3,000 to £12,000 (+ VAT) per day (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation).

Expert witnesses that can cost between £3,000 and £8,000 per report (+ VAT).

Specific charges for preparing court bundles of copy documents or providing copies to other parties, lawyers and witnesses which can cost between £0 and £1000 (+ VAT). The need for such charges will depend on whether electronic or hard copies of documents and statements will be required.

Key stages

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

• Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on the risks and merits and likely compensation (this is

likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change)

• Entering into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached;

• Preparing the claim or response to a claim

• Reviewing and advising on a claim or response from the other party

• Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process

• Preparing or considering a schedule of loss and costs schedules in accordance with rules of procedure

• Preparing for (and attending) a Preliminary Hearing

• Exchanging lists of documents with the other party and agreeing the index for a bundle of documents

• Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses

• Preparing bundles of documents to comply with the directions given by the court or tribunal

• Reviewing and advising on the other party's witness statements

• Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list

Preparing a statement of case

• Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing, including instructions to Counsel

The stages set out above are an indication only and if some of stages are not required, the fee will be reduced accordingly. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged depending on your individual requirements provided always that there is clarity in terms of what assistance we will give, and what we will not, according to our retainer

How long will my matter take to resolve?

The time that your matter may take from taking your initial instructions to final resolution depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take 2-6 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 6-12 months. This is an estimate and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.

Where there are technical issues involved which require the assistance of external experts (including barristers) we obtain a fee estimate from the external expert and the client will have the opportunity to review and agree the fee estimate before the expert is engaged. We will invariably ask you for the barristers’ fees on account before we instruct them.

Private clients are advised to check the terms of their insurance policies to see whether they have legal expenses insurance. Where they do have legal expenses insurance they may wish to discuss with their insurers whether they continue to instruct us or take advice from one of the insurer’s panel solicitors.

We provide advice and assistance in for both contentious and non-contentious family law matters.

WE DO NOT PROVIDE PUBLICLY FUNDED SERVICES NOR DO WE ADVISE ON SPECIALIST AREAS OF FAMILY PRACTICE SUCH AS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR CHILD CUSTODY ISSUES

Our services include a fixed fee initial meeting (face to face or on-line) to identify the nature and scope of what work might be needed. The charge for this initial meeting will be fixed according to our standard charge out rates before the meeting is held, the cost of which will be determined by the seniority of the lawyer to meet you. Most such initial meetings will be with an experienced Associate Solicitor with expertise in family law matters.

Our current standard charge out rates for work on a time-cost basis are:

Partners, Consultants and Senior Solicitors: between £270 - £300 (+ VAT) per hour;

Associate Solicitors: between £180 and £240 (+ VAT) per hour;

Trainee solicitors: between £120 and £150 (+ VAT) per hour;

Paralegals (including case managers, legal executives and administrative assistants): between £90 and £150 (+ VAT) per hour.

The initial meeting allows us to analyse the client’s requirement and to agree the scope of the work we will do before proceeding. In each case a budget is prepared based on our assessment of how much time is needed and who is best to deliver the service.

The Team carrying out the work:

Non-contentious work is carried out by our Head of Family Law, Jackie Arnold, an Associate Solicitor who has more than 10 years of experience in the field. Contentious work is carried out by our Head of Dispute Resolution a Senor Solicitor with more than 30 years of experience in the discipline. In turn, they are supervised by a Partner, the head of the Private Client team, who has in excess of 25 years expertise and experience as a qualified solicitor.

Where there are technical issues involved which require the assistance of external experts (including barristers) we obtain a fee estimate from the external expert and the client will have the opportunity to review and agree the fee estimate before the expert is engaged. We invariably ask for money on account to pay the barrister or other expert’s fees before instructing them on your behalf.

If we are so instructed, we carry out your instructions on the basis of a budget which is pre-agreed which will normally be progressed on a time-cost basis to which the standard hourly charge out rates given above shall apply.

We will where we can provide you with a fixed fee (for instance drafting a divorce application) but other matters, particularly in respect of financial remedies, can be long and drawn out where our costs will be payable on a time-costed basis. Nonetheless, we operate to an agreed budget which will be reviewed and updated with you before further work is carried out beyond that for which your agreement has already been given.