Wills, Probate & Estate Planning

All prices are plus VAT & exclude disbursements.

We charge an initial consultation fee of £60 (£50 + £10 VAT), which is deducted from the total costs charge on your case upon receipt of instructions to proceed.

In the advice on this page we will try and be as helpful as we can in providing an indication of what our services will cost and how long it will take, but in all cases the exact estimate will depend on what you tell us at the start. Complexities can arise during a case and if they do so we will keep you fully informed as to how the costs situation and timescales may be affected.

*NB The Office of the Public Guardian charges a registration fee of £82 per Lasting Power of Attorney. In some circumstances the Office of the Public Guardian will discount or waive this fee. Registration can be delayed for up to 12 months after signing.

What these prices include;

• A one-hour initial consultation with you, to discuss your concerns, answer your questions and identify your options.
• A written summary of our advice, with a written quotation.
• A draft for your consideration, with a plain-English explanation of the meaning and effect of the wording.
• All amendments thereafter at your request until you are happy with the wording
• The final printed and bound version, with clear written instructions on signing and witnessing.
• For Lasting Powers of Attorney, checking the signed Power of Attorney to ensure that all signatures and dates are compliant with the rules of the Office of the Public Guardian, and submitting the Lasting Power of Attorney to the Office of the Public Guardian for registration.
• All associated letters, emails and phone calls

How long it will take;

• Your written advice and quotation will be with you within 3-5 working days of your initial consultation.
• Your first drafts will be prepared within 1-3 working days of your decision to proceed.
• All requested amendments will be prepared within 1-3 working days of your request.
• Typically, your Will is ready for you to sign in between 1 and 3 weeks.
• The Office of the Public Guardian typically takes 8-12 weeks to complete the process of registration of a Lasting Power of Attorney.

All prices are plus VAT & exclude disbursements.

We charge an initial consultation fee of £60 (£50 + £10 VAT), which is deducted from the total costs charge on your case upon receipt of instructions to proceed.

In the advice on this page we will try and be as helpful as we can in providing an indication of what our services will cost and how long it will take, but in all cases the exact estimate will depend on what you tell us at the start. Complexities can arise during a case and if they do so we will keep you fully informed as to how the costs situation and timescales may be affected.

**NB The Land Registry charges registration fees on a sliding scale according to the value of the property.

What this price includes

• A one-hour initial consultation with you, to discuss your concerns, answer your questions and identify your options.
• A written summary of our advice, with a written quotation.
• A draft for your consideration, with a plain-English explanation of the meaning and effect of the wording.
• All amendments thereafter at your request until you are happy with the wording
• The final printed and bound version, with clear written instructions on signing and witnessing.
• For Family Trust Deed with transfer of a property, preparation of a Transfer in respect of the property, with instructions for valid signing and witnessing, followed by submitting the Transfer to the Land Registry
• All associated letters, emails and phonecalls

How long this takes

• Your written advice and quotation will be with you within 3-5 working days of your initial consultation.
• Your first drafts will be prepared within 1-3 working days of your decision to proceed.
• All requested amendments will be prepared within 1-3 working days of your request.
• Typically, the final document will be ready for your signature within 1-3 weeks of your initial consultation.
• When a Transfer is submitted to the Land Registry, the registration process typically takes 4-6 weeks.

All prices are plus VAT & exclude disbursements.

We charge an initial consultation fee of £60 (£50 + £10 VAT), which is deducted from the total costs charge on your case upon receipt of instructions to proceed.

In the advice on this page we will try and be as helpful as we can in providing an indication of what our services will cost and how long it will take, but in all cases the exact estimate will depend on what you tell us at the start. Complexities can arise during a case and if they do so we will keep you fully informed as to how the costs situation and timescales may be affected.

***NB The Land Registry charges registration fees on a sliding scale according to the value of the property.

The work included for the above fees is:

What this price includes

• A one-hour initial consultation with you, to take your full instructions about the deceased and their estate.
• Where the deceased died before 1^st January 2022, the preparation of an IHT205 Return of Estate Information, summarising the assets and liabilities of the deceased at the date of death.
• Preparation of an application for a Grant of Probate or Grant of Letters of Administration. In most cases the application is made online, and a Legal Statement is prepared for you to sign. In a minority of cases, the application mist be made on a paper form PA1A, which is prepared for you to sign.
• Submitting the prepared papers to you for your signature.
• Submitting the signed papers to the Probate Service.
• Providing you with the sealed Grant when it is issued by the Probate Service.
• Where the deceased’s residence is to be transferred to a beneficiary, preparation of the AS1, with instructions for valid signing and witnessing.
• Submitting the AS1 to the Land Registry.
• All associated letters, emails, and phone calls.

How long this takes

• The prepared papers for your signature will be ready for you within 5-10 working days of your initial consultation.
• Your signed papers will be submitted to the Probate Service within 5 working days.
• The Probate Service typically takes 8 weeks to issue a Grant but is sometimes extended by a further 4-8 weeks where the Probate Service raises a query.
• On receipt of the Grant, the AS1 Assent will be ready for you to sign within 5-10 working days.
• The Land Registry typically takes 4-6 weeks to register an AS1 Assent
• The probate process usually takes between 3 and 6 months.

Potential Additional Costs

The above fees do not include;

• Contacting the various asset holders to seek formal probate valuations or to ascertain the liabilities in the estate. We will rely on you to provide this information.
• Us contacting the beneficiaries named in the Will
• 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.
• If the deceased’s income tax affairs up to date of death and for the period of administration need to be finalised there may be accountancy fees for undertaking completion of the tax returns.
• If the deceased held assets outside of the UK additional fees may be payable in respect of the appointment of attorneys or solicitors who specialise in the administration of estates within the particular foreign jurisdiction.
• Advising in relation to any trusts arsing under the Will or any associated trusts.
• Maintenance of the property and garden until the property it is sold.
• Completing a full Inheritance Account and supporting schedules and submitting the same to HM Revenue & Customs.
• Discharging the Inheritance Tax liability, currently 40% on the value of the net estate that exceeds all available allowances and exemptions;

In instances where you require assistance with the items listed as not included, we will assess your personal circumstances and needs, before providing a detailed quote for your consideration. Any quote is calculated based on the amount of hours needed to complete the work, which varies based upon your individual requirements, but will be calculated at an hourly rate of £230.40 (£190 + £38.40 VAT) per hour in addition to any disbursements such as court fees (which are also detailed below or will be detailed prior to any work being carried out).

All Court fees do not contain any VAT.