Civil Disputes

Civil disputes can be very stressful for the parties involved. Our civil disputes department will assist you in resolving this through negotiations and if required, by use of the courts.

Our civil litigation team are specialists in this field and will support you at every aspect of your case from start to finish.

Please contact us for further information.

Probate/Administration of Estates

Our Fees

We offer fixed fee services. There can however be subject to change dependant on any additional work required. We will be able to advise you of this when we first discuss the matter with you at the time of taking your instructions.

Application for Grant

We can act for you to obtain the Grant of Probate or Letter of Administration only. The appointed Executors/Administrators can then administer the Estate without our involvement.

• £900 plus VAT (£180) and Probate Registry fees of £300 plus £1.50 per additional copy of Grant.

Uncomplicated Probate and Full Administration of the Estate (obtaining grant, collecting in assets and distributing to beneficiaries)

No two estates are the same and so the amount of work involved in administering each estate is different. There are a multitude of factors that vary the amount of work involved in each estate administration.

The complexity of the estate and nature of the assets; the number of bank accounts, investments and other assets and liabilities; whether or not there is a property to sell, assent, or transfer; whether or not a Grant of Probate is required; whether or not the Will sets up trusts; estrangements and disagreements between the family and beneficiaries; the amount and frequency of communication required by the beneficiaries; and the number of beneficiaries will all have an impact on the amount of time that needs to be expended in administering the affairs of the person who has died.

It is therefore impossible to state exactly how much our hourly rate charge will come to at the outset of an administration. However, once we have reviewed the estate’s papers and have spoken with the executors, we will be able to estimate the amount of work that is likely to be involved.

Probate costs

Due to the fact that the complexity of every estate is different, costings have to be tailored to each individual matter. Different fee options are available depending on the size of the estate and the amount of work that you want us to carry out.

Like most other solicitors, there are usually three elements to our costings when we are appointed to carry out the full administration of an estate.

The first is a cost based on the amount of time that our specialists are actually engaged in progressing the administration. This is charged at an hourly rate of £300 per hour plus VAT*. This covers our overheads, expenses and running costs.

The second element is based on a percentage of the value of the estate. This is usually calculated at 1% + VAT* of the value of the gross estate. This element is a reflection of the importance of the matter and consequently, the grave responsibility that we take on.

Our hourly rate fees for the majority of the estates we administer fall between £5,000 + VAT* for a very simple estate with no house, one or two bank accounts, no Inheritance Tax Liability, and a small number of beneficiaries, to £25,000 + VAT* for a large and relatively complex estate with an Inheritance Tax Liability and where we are also called upon to arrange the funeral.

It is of course possible that very simple estates will be charged less that £5,000+VAT* and complex estates, or estates in which there are complicating factors, such as family disagreements or a lot of communication required will incur charges in excess of £25,000+VAT*.

Whilst the size of an estate can be an indicator of its complexity, we frequently come across relatively small estates which are relatively complex to administer, or large estates which are relatively simple to administer. However, as we charge at at hourly rate, the estate is only charged for the amount of time that we are actively engaged in administering it, and so our charges remain fair and proportionate to the amount of work involved.

We understand that our clients have worked hard all their lives and want to pass as much as possible to their beneficiaries. We are therefore always mindful of the charges that are accumulating and will endeavour to keep these to a minimum. We will be happy to talk with you to discuss the various way that we can work together to keep costs down.

Our team of specialists are skilled in the administration of estates and are ready to help you bear this burden at what we know is an emotionally difficult time.

We frequently deal with a wide variety of estates; from complex, high net-worth estates, to relatively small estates. No matter what situation you find yourself in, we have the technical expertise to help you.

As part of our fee we will:

• Providing initial advice regarding the Will or intestacy position.
• Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
• Gathering the necessary evidence to complete the application for the Grant and processing the application with the Probate Registry.
• Collecting in assets, settling liabilities and preparing full estate accounts.
• Liaising with HMRC and DWP
• Collect and distribute all assets in the estate
• Searching for missing Wills, dormant investments and placing public notices if required.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees.

Some Typical disbursements additional to this quoted fee (where applicable VAT is included at 20%) are:

• Probate court fee of £300.00
• Additional copy of Grant required £1.50 each
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary)
• HM Land Registry Search Fee – £7.00
• S27 Advertisement in The London Gazette (Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors) and post in a Local Newspaper – (This also helps to protect against unexpected claims) – from £300.00-£450.00 depending on the local newspaper advertising costs.
• Other third party costs will be advised as required e.g. accountant’s fee for potential income tax return, statutory advertisement fee to advertise for unknown creditors, asset tracing fee
• There may be additional third party costs for lost share certificates and share registrar and/or sale agent fees on transfer or sale of the shares
• Stockbroker fees – £25 – £150 depending on the number of shareholdings to be dealt with.

This quote guide is for estates where:

• There is a valid will
• There is no more than one property
• There are no more than 4 bank or building society accounts
• There are no other intangible assets
• There are no more than 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

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 3-6 months. Collecting assets then follows. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes a further 3-6 Months.

These time guidelines are approximate, and each estate can vary depending on the assets and matters involved and information provided to us.

Legal fees in these cases will be taken from the Estate when it is in funds.

Additional costs

Larger estates/Complex estates with multiple assets and beneficiaries will attract a higher fee due to the additional works we will have to carry out for you. We will off course be able to give you a much more accurate quote when taking instructions from you.

• Additional £500 plus VAT (£100) for per 3 financial institutions to be contacted.
• Additional £500 plus VAT (£100) for every additional 3 beneficiaries.
• If we are dealing with the utilities and empty property insurance there will be an additional charge of £500 plus VAT (£100) to the Estate (in addition to the costs of the utilities and insurance).
• 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.
• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.

Who will deal with your case:

• Our Probate department consists of Shomaila Younas and Nauman Younas. They possess a wealth of experience and expertise in dealing with estates of all manner of sizes and complexity.
• Our team of specialists are skilled in the administration of estates and are ready to help you bear this burden at what we know is an emotionally difficult time.
• We frequently deal with a wide variety of estates; from complex, high net-worth estates, to relatively small estates. No matter what situation you find yourself in, we have the technical expertise to help you.

Business Leases

We act for landlords and tenants in relation to business leases. Our solicitors can draft leases to suit any situation and can advise regarding terms therein. We have vast experience in dealing with problems that arise from time to time with commercial leases.

Please contact us for further information.