Fee earner: Mr Shah Shahriar

We can assist you in obtaining a grant of probate (or letters of administration in the absence of a will). This is often needed to authorize the person appointed to deal with the estate. We also deal with all aspects of the administration – including obtaining the grant, valuing the assets, agreeing and settling any inheritance tax liability, as well as gathering in and distributing the assets in accordance with the will or intestacy rules. We also regularly advise on contentious probate, estate planning, trusts and are experienced at dealing with all matters relating to contested estates.

We can help you through this difficult process by obtaining the Grant of Probate on your behalf. We will also undertake the collecting and distributing of assets.

How much does this service cost?

Time spent on your matter may include meetings with you and perhaps others; attendance at hearings; any time spent travelling and waiting; considering, reading and working on papers;preparation of any detailed costs calculations; correspondence, by letter or email, including perusal of incoming correspondence; photocopying and telegraphic transfer charges and making and receiving telephone calls.  Where more than one fee earner is engaged on your matter either within one department or across two departments we will charge you for the time spent between fee earners.

The amount of time spent on your matter will be influenced by the manner in which you respond to our requests for information.  Timely provision of up to date information will help us to spend less time on your matter than might otherwise be the case.

Routine letters and emails that we write and routine telephone calls, texts that we make and receive will be charged as units of 6 minutes.  Other letters and calls will be charged on a time-spent basis.

The current charging rate that applies to our firm, and are exclusive of VAT, are as follows,

Heads of Department               £250.00

Solicitors                                   £200.00

Case workers                              £150.00

Trainee solicitors                        £120.00

Other expenses

There may be other expenses which we need to pay on your behalf. These can include:

  • court fees;
  • fees for expert reports;
  • Barristers’ fees.

These will be listed separately on your bill and you may be charged VAT in relation to these expenses.

 Disbursements include:

  • Probate court fee to be advised (typical Court fee for a personal application is £215 regardless of the size of the estate. The fee is slightly lower (£155) if you apply through a solicitor)
  • £5-£7 Swearing of the oath (per executor).
  • Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (changed £2 per beneficiary).
  • Fees for Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
  • Fees for Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.

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.

Disbursements also include:

  • Potential additional costs
  • 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.

Our service will include:

  • a dedicated probate solicitor to work on your matter
  • Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
  • Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require
  • 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
  • Collect and distribute all assets in the estate
  • Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 4-8 weeks. Collecting assets then follows,

The additional work to administer the estate can take on average 6-9 months, however, this can vary depending on the legal and financial complexities of the deceased’s estate.

The Complexities include:

  • There are no more than X bank or building society accounts
  • There are no other intangible assets
  • There are multiple 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

If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost more again to be advised.

Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.