Our costs for acting on an uncontested Probate application depends on the size and complexity of the estate, but will generally range on average between £5,000 to £20,000 plus VAT and disbursements.
The basis of our charges is an hourly rate of £350 per hour plus a value element of 1% of the gross estate (both elements being plus VAT). There will also be disbursements to pay, including court Probate fees (as at October 2020, £155).
If the estate is worth less than £50,000 you may be able to dispense with Probate altogether and this is something we can discuss with you.
The service included in the price is:
Attending to the gathering in of all the assets of the deceased
Ascertaining all liabilities
Corresponding with all debtors, creditors and beneficiaries
Completing the necessary HMRC IHT forms
Applying to the court for Probate
Attending to payment of any liabilities of the deceased, and payments to the beneficiaries
We would expect the above steps to be completed within 6 months of you first retaining us, although any time frames will be dependent on the complexity of the matter and any difficulties encountered along the way.
The person dealing with your matter would be Alan Taylor who has in excess of 45 years’ experience in estate work, although some of the work may be delegated to other experienced solicitors: Jacqueline Burke (1994 qualified and £300 per hour) or Steffan Taylor (2015 qualified and £240 per hour).