Our Fees

Family Fees

Divorce

The cost for divorce proceedings is £900.00 plus VAT. Additionally, the court fee for issuing a divorce petition is £593.00. Therefore, the total cost for completing the divorce process is £1,673.00 plus VAT.

Financial Settlement and Other Family Matters

Hourly Rate: £301.00 plus VAT.
Charges per Communication:
- Letters and emails sent: £30.10 plus VAT each.
- Telephone calls: £30.10 plus VAT each.
- Letters and emails received: £15.05 plus VAT each.
- Text and WhatsApp messages sent or received: £7.52 plus VAT each.

Immigration Fees

Application for Leave to Remain and Applications for Extension of Leave To Remain based on family and Private Life – £1,500.00

Applications for Leave to Remain or applications for extension of Leave To Remain as a spouse or partner – £1500.00

Citizenship, registration and naturalisation as a British citizen – £1000.00

Entry clearance Applications – £1500.00

Settlement applications – £1500.00

Visitors’ visa applications – £1000.00

Point Based System (student applications) – £1500.00

Investors Applications – £2000.00

Skilled Worker Visas – £2000.00

Detention, removal and Deportation matters – £2000.00

Judicial Review applications – £3000.00

EU Law applications – £1000.00

Appeals £2000.00

Probate Fees

Introduction

Probate is the court-supervised process of gathering a deceased person’s assets, paying debts and taxes, and distributing the remaining assets to the inheritors named in the will. Uncontested probate involves no disputes over the will or asset distribution.

Below, we provide information on our legal fees, disbursements, and the expected timeline for completing your matter.

Legal Fees and Disbursements

Legal fees cover all work performed from the commencement to the conclusion of your case. VAT, currently at 20%, is payable on our fees and some disbursements. We will clearly indicate which disbursements carry VAT in our formal quotation or when advising you to incur them.

Our fees are calculated either on the basis of an agreed fixed fee or the hourly rate of the case handler managing your matter. For typical probate matters, we anticipate the work will require between 10 to 20 hours, with an average hourly rate of £301 plus VAT. The total legal costs are estimated to range between £3,000 and £6,000 plus VAT, depending on the complexity.

Key Stages:

As part of our fixed fee, we will:

Provide a dedicated and experienced probate lawyer.
Review the documentation provided by you.
Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries.
Determine the type of Probate application required.
Complete the Probate Application and relevant HMRC forms for your signature.
Submit the application to the Probate Registry.
Obtain and securely send the Probate copies to you.

If our fees change due to unforeseen complexities or changes in instructions, we will notify you and discuss the reasons.

Assumptions:

The transaction concludes in a timely manner without unforeseen complications.
All parties are cooperative, and there are no unreasonable delays in providing documentation.
There are no claims against the estate or disagreements between beneficiaries or executors.

Key Stages:

As part of our fee, we will:

Undertake regulatory checks.
Identify legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries.
Determine the type of Probate application required.
Obtain required documents and complete the Probate Application and relevant HMRC forms.
Draft a legal oath for you to swear.
Submit the application to the Probate Court.
Obtain and securely send two copies of the Probate.
Collect and distribute all estate assets.

If our fees change due to unforeseen complexities or changes in instructions, we will notify you and discuss the reasons.

Assumptions:

The transaction concludes in a timely manner without unforeseen complications.
All parties are cooperative, and there are no unreasonable delays in providing documentation.
There are no claims against the estate or disagreements between beneficiaries or executors.

NOTE: Our services for managing the sale or transfer of a property within the estate are billed as a separate matter.

Disbursements and Other Costs

Disbursements are third-party costs related to your matter. We handle these payments on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. A full list of disbursements will be provided in our formal quotation. If further disbursements are needed, you will be notified in advance.

Typical Disbursements:

Certainty Will Search: £105 + VAT (£126.00 inc. VAT)
Probate Registry fee on application: £300 plus £1.50 per copy
Estate search investigation of assets and liabilities: £195 + VAT (£234.00 inc. VAT)
Trustee Act Notices: £180 – £300
UK Bankruptcy Search fees: Up to £10 per legatee/beneficiary

Other Costs: To comply with anti-money laundering legislation and regulatory commitments, we may conduct online identity checks on all clients and beneficiaries. This fee is £7.50 and is in addition to the quoted fees. Electronic money transfers are charged at £40.00 for each.

Potential Additional Costs: Further costs may arise in complex cases, such as:

Absence of a will or estate including shareholdings (stocks and bonds)
Inheritance Tax (IHT) payment
Contested grant of probate
Multiple properties or properties outside England and Wales
Trusts in the will
Missing beneficiaries

Estates over £325,000 may be subject to Inheritance Tax. For more information on IHT, visit: GOV.UK – Estimate Estate Value.

Timeline

On average, estates in this range are completed within 6 – 12 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 6 – 8 weeks, asset collection takes 16 – 32 weeks, and asset distribution takes 32 – 48 weeks.

Conveyancing Fees

Costs for Residential Conveyancing: Freehold Sale or Purchase, Leasehold Sale or Purchase, and Remortgages

Conveyancing Legal Fees:

Property Sale and Purchase

Property Value (£)	Freehold (£) +VAT	Leasehold (£) +VAT
Up to 250,000	995	1750
250,000 to 350,000	1100	2000
350,000 to 600,000	1300	2250
600,000 to 800,000	1500	2750
800,000 to 1,000,000	1750	3000
1,000,000 to 1,500,000	2000	4000
1,500,000 to 2,000,000	2500	4500
Over 2,000,000	0.15% of property value + VAT

New Build Property: Additional fee of £500 +VAT to the above fee scale.

Additional Costs

Additional costs and payments to third-party suppliers, known as disbursements, will be detailed in your personalised quotation. They may include:

Property Sale

Office Copies: £20 approx.
Bank Transfer Fee: £40.00 + VAT per transfer
Case Management Fee: £22.00 + VAT
ID Check: £7.20 per person

Property Purchase

Searches: £400 approx.
Bank Transfer Fee: £40.00 + VAT per transfer
Case Management Fee: £27.50 + VAT
Land Registry Pre-Completion Searches: £8.40 approx.
Land Registry Registration Fee: Dependent on property value:

Property Value (£)	Fee (£)
0 – 80,000	20
80,001 – 100,000	40
100,001 – 200,000	100
200,001 – 500,000	150
500,001 – 1,000,000	295
1,000,001 and over	500

Stamp Duty Land Tax

SDLT applies to properties purchased for more than £250,000. The cost depends on the property value and your status (e.g., first-time buyer, existing property owner, etc.). Use the government’s SDLT calculator to determine the amount. You have 14 days after completion to file your SDLT return and pay any owed tax.

Remortgage Legal Services

Our fee: £750.00 + VAT

Disbursements for Remortgage Legal Services

Bank Transfer Fee: £40.00 + VAT per transfer
Case Management Fee: £22.00 + VAT
Land Registry Pre-Completion Searches: £8.40 approx.
No Search Indemnity: £50.00 approx.
Land Registry Registration Fee: Dependent on loan amount:

Loan Value (£)	Fee (£)
0 – 100,000	20
100,001 – 200,000	30
200,001 – 500,000	45
500,001 – 1,000,000	65
1,000,001 and over	140

Civil Litigation

Dispute Resolution Costs and Estimates

Due to the varying nature and complexity of disputes, providing a definitive cost estimate can be challenging. Our goal is to offer an initial cost estimate at the outset and keep you updated on any changes throughout your case.

Hourly Rate: £301.00 plus VAT.

Initial Meeting

We offer an initial meeting at a fixed fee, agreed in advance, to discuss your case and specific needs. Typically, we charge £150 plus VAT for a one-hour meeting. This fixed fee may increase depending on the complexity of your matter or if documentation needs to be reviewed beforehand.

VAT

All fees are quoted exclusive of VAT, which is charged at the standard rate of 20%.

Complexity Factors:

Numerous or complicated issues
Deliberate avoidance of payment
Length of time to resolve

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs payable to third parties, such as court fees and travel expenses. We handle these payments to ensure a smoother process.

Possible Disbursements

Court Fees for Claim:

Claim Value (£)	Paper Form (£)	Online Claim (£)
Up to 300	35	25
300.01 to 500	50	35
500.01 to 1,000	70	60
1,000.01 to 1,500	80	70
1,500.01 to 3,000	115	105
3,000.01 to 5,000	205	185
5,000.01 to 10,000	455	410
10,000.01 to 100,000	5% of claim	4.5% of claim

Fees are subject to change.

Hearing Fees:

Fast Track Claim: £545
Multi-Track Claim: £1,090

Counsel (Barrister) Fees:

Simple Case: £2,000 to £10,000 (plus VAT)
Medium Complexity Case: £10,000 to £15,000 (plus VAT)
High Complexity Case: £15,000+ (plus VAT)

Mediation Fees: £750 to £3,000 (plus VAT)

Enforcement Disbursements

County Court Bailiff/High Court Enforcement Officer:

Judgment Amount (£)	Enforcement Fees (£)
Bailiff (up to 5,000)	77/100
HCEO (600+)	66

Fees are subject to change.

Tracing agent: £100 to £1,000 (plus VAT)
Forensic accountant: £750 to £5,000
Transferring the matter to the High Court

Time Estimates

The time to resolve your matter depends on its stage and complexity:

Stage One: Likely resolved within 3 months if settled.
Stage Two: Up to 12 months if it progresses to a final contested hearing.
Stage Three: Resolved within 3 months of commencing enforcement action.

These are estimates, and we will provide a more accurate timeline as your case progresses.jk