Probate service and pricing information

Estate administration pricing

Full Administration Service

Key stages of the transaction:

• A dedicated and experienced probate lawyer to work on your matter;
• Identifying the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries;
• Identifying the type of probate application required and obtaining the relevant documents to make the application;
• Completion of the relevant HM Revenue & Customs forms and drafting a legal statement for the personal representative/s to sign;
• Making the application and ensuring the appropriate grant of administration is obtained;
• All assets made known to us are gathered in and liabilities, including tax, discharged;
• The net estate is distributed in accordance with the law;
• Estate accounts are prepared and approved by you to conclude the administration;
• Dealing with tax returns for the administration period; and
• Tax certificates are prepared where appropriate for beneficiaries’ personal tax records.

Grant only service

Key stages of the transaction; this includes ensuring the appropriate application is made, including completion of the inheritance tax return and legal statement required to apply for the grant based on information you have provided. We will store the original grant free of charge and provide sealed copies to the personal representatives so that they may complete the administration of the estate.

• Our minimum fee for obtaining a Grant of Probate/Letters of Administration is £2,500 exc VAT.
• This service is limited to an application based solely upon the estate information provided to us.

Estate administration pricing

Our charges

Our charges are based on time spent and not the value of the estate. We believe this is a fairer charging system and ensures you only pay for the work that is actually needed. The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter and our estimated charges, depending on the components of the estate, are split into 3 different levels. Estates with few assets and a single beneficiary will be at the lower end of the fee scale whereas estates with many assets or many beneficiaries will mean costs will be higher. We will never charge a value element. We will provide you with an estimate based on the information given at the outset.

Our hourly rates are currently (exc VAT):

• Partner £535
• Managing Associate £350-400
• Senior Associate £315
• Associate £250-£260
• Chartered Legal Executive - £230
• Paralegal £175

Disbursements

There are generally additional expenses payable to third parties as part of the administration process. These can vary depending on the assets but the following are an example:

• Court fees for obtaining a Grant of Probate/Letters of Administration: £300 + £1.50 for each additional sealed office copy.
• Statutory advertisements (protects against unknown creditors): £150 to £200 based on The London Gazette and one local newspaper.
• Bankruptcy searches: £2 plus VAT per beneficiary

How long will this take?

Estates which fall within Level 1 usually take 9 – 12 months. Obtaining the grant takes a minimum of 16 weeks from when the application is submitted. Collecting the assets can take between 2 to 6 weeks. More complex estates and assets can take much longer.