Private Client Costs

Probate (Applying for Grant, collecting and distributing assets)

This estimate is based on Estates where:

• There is a valid will
• There is no more than one property
• There are no more than 2 bank or building society accounts
• There are no other intangible assets
• There are 1-4 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 payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
• There are no claims made against the estate

Professional Fees from £1,000.00 (Plus VAT at a rate of 20%)		Additional costs (on top of Professional fees + VAT)
Estimation of 5-8 hours work		No valid Will
Directors	£255.00 per hour	Shareholdings (Stocks and Bonds)
Solicitors and legal executives with over 8 years’ experience	£255.00 per hour	Additional copies of the grant	£1.50
Solicitors and legal executives with over 4 years’ experience	£218.00 per hour
Other solicitors or legal executives and fee earners of equivalent experience	£177.00 per hour
Trainee solicitors, paralegals and other fee earners	£126.00 per hour
+ AML ID fee (Per person)	£10.00
Disbursements (no VAT)
Probate application Fee	£273.00
Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (Per Beneficiary)	£1.50

The Professional fees we charge will vary based on the following factors:

• Value of the Estate
• Experience of the Fee earner
• Complexity
• Number of beneficiaries
• Whether a property is involved (Sale or transfer of a property is not included)
• Multiple bank accounts

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.

Timescales

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 3-4 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 4-6 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 4-5 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 2-3 weeks.

Applying For Grant Only

Professional Fees £750 - £1,500 (Plus VAT at a rate of 20%)		Additional costs (on top of Professional fees + VAT)
+ AML ID fee (Per person)	£10.00	Additional copies of the grant	£1.50
Disbursements (no VAT)
Probate application Fee	£155.00
Post in London Gazette	£83.40
Post in Local Newspaper	£100 - £120.00

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.

As part of our fixed fee we will:

• Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate advisor to work on your matter
• Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
• Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require

Based upon the information provided to us by the Executors regarding assets and liabilities of Estates we will;

• Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application
• Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
• Draft a legal oath for you to swear
• Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
• Obtain the Probate and securely send two copies to you

Timescales

On average, applying for a Grant of Probate takes between 3-6 weeks.

Wills

Professional Fees from (Plus VAT at a rate of 20%)
Single Will (1 person)	£350.00
Mirror Will (2 people)	£500.00

The Professional fees we charge will vary based on the following factors:

• Experience of the Fee earner
• Complexity of the Will
• Trusts

Timescales

Usually draft wills are sent out for approval within 7 to 10 days of the initial meeting with the client.