Price Transparency
1.Residential Conveyancing – fixed fee
A. Freehold purchase
Our fees cover work required to complete the purchase of your new home, including application to the Land Registry for completion of registration and dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) for property in England, or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) for property in Wales. This estimate excludes indemnity costs for restrictive covenants or defective titles or other issues resulting from sale or purchase.
Example of purchase price at £249,000.00:
| Conveyancers fees and disbursements | £ |
|---|---|
| Legal fee | £1,150.00 |
| Electronic money transfer fee – our administration charge, per payment | £50.00 |
| VAT on our fees | £240.00 |
| Search fees – estimated | £200.00 (depending on searches required) |
| HM Land Registry fee – electronic application, whole of a registered title valued £200,001 – £500,000 | £150.00 |
| Bank transfer charge – charged by our bank, per remittance | £15.00 |
| Stamp Duty or Land Tax on purchase | TBC – linked to the value of the transaction |
| Estimated total | £1,805.00 |
B. Freehold sale
Example of sale price at £249,000.00:
| Conveyancers fees and disbursements | £ |
|---|---|
| Legal fee | £1,150.00 |
| Electronic money transfer fee – our administration charge, per payment | £50.00 |
| VAT on our fees (legal fee and transfer fee) | £240.00 |
| Official copies of the Land Registry title register and title plan – £7.00 each | £14.00 |
| Bank transfer charge – charged by our bank, per remittance | £15.00 |
| Estimated total costs | £1,469.00 |
About the two transfer charges
These are two different charges, not the same charge counted twice. The £50.00 electronic money transfer fee is our own administration charge for setting up, checking and releasing each payment, and VAT is charged on it. The £15.00 bank charge is a third-party cost charged by our bank for each transfer, which we pass on to you at cost.
Disbursements are payments to third parties, such as the Land Registry, search providers and HMRC. The figures above are those in force at the date of publication and we will confirm the current amounts in your quote.
2.Probate
Probate work divides into two separate pieces of work, and we price them separately so you can see what you are paying for. Obtaining the Grant is the application to the Probate Registry. Estate administration is the work that follows it — collecting in the assets, settling liabilities and distributing the estate to the beneficiaries. You may instruct us for the Grant alone and deal with the administration yourself.
A. Obtaining the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration
This covers taking your instructions, identifying the correct application, preparing the relevant forms and the Inheritance Tax return where a full account is not required, applying to the Probate Registry, and sending the Grant to you.
As an example, a case taking between 3 and 7 hours at £250 per hour excluding VAT would give a total estimated cost of between £750.00 and £1,750.00 excluding VAT, or £900.00 to £2,100.00 including VAT.
The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of each matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end. This estimate is for estates which are subject to the following conditions:
- A valid will.
- No more than one property.
- No more than 4 bank or building society accounts.
- No other intangible assets.
- There are 1–4 beneficiaries.
- No dispute between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to result in an increase in costs.
- 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.
B. Full estate administration
Where you would like us to deal with the estate after the Grant is issued — closing accounts, collecting in the assets, settling liabilities, preparing estate accounts and distributing to the beneficiaries — that work is quoted separately once we know what the estate contains. It is charged on our hourly rates, or as a fixed fee where the estate is straightforward enough for us to scope it.
Estates subject to Inheritance Tax, and estates where a full account has to be submitted to HMRC, are also charged on our hourly rates. Our hourly rates vary depending upon the experience of the person working on your file (e.g. whether they are a paralegal, trainee solicitor, assistant solicitor, associate solicitor, or partner). The range of our hourly rates is between £195.00 and £295.00 excluding VAT.
We will give you a written estimate of the likely hours before the work starts, and will tell you if that estimate needs to change as the administration progresses.
Disbursements
Disbursements are costs payable to third parties. They are charged in addition to our fees, and we handle the payment of them on your behalf. Not every matter requires all of them.
| Disbursements excluded from our fees | £ |
|---|---|
| Probate application fee – payable where the estate is over £5,000. No fee is payable where the estate is £5,000 or less | £526.00 |
| Additional sealed copies of the Grant – when ordered with the application | £2.00 each |
| Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches | £2.00 (per beneficiary name searched) |
| Notice in The Gazette – protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors | £96.55 + VAT (£115.86 including VAT) |
| Notice in a local newspaper – this also helps to protect against unexpected claims | £240.00 + VAT through The Gazette's placement service, or £250.00 – £350.00 booked directly (depending on advert and paper) |
These are the figures in force at the date of publication. Third-party fees are set by the Probate Registry, The Gazette and the relevant newspaper, and can change without notice. We will confirm the current amounts in your quote.
3.Debt Recovery
These costs apply where your claim is in relation to an unpaid invoice which is not disputed, and enforcement action is not needed. If the other party disputes your claim at any point, we will discuss any further work required and provide you with revised advice about costs if necessary, which could be on a fixed fee (e.g. if a one-off letter is required), or an hourly rate if more extensive work is needed.
We charge by stage rather than a single fee for the whole matter. Many debts are paid at the letter before action stage, and where that happens the cost stops there.
| Stage | What it covers | Our fee (exc. VAT) | Our fee including VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Initial review and letter before action | Taking your instructions, reviewing your documents, carrying out appropriate searches, and sending a letter before action and dealing with the response. | £150.00 – £250.00 | £180.00 – £300.00 |
| 2a. Issuing a claim up to £5,000 | Drafting and issuing the claim where the debt is not paid and remains undisputed. | Additional £250.00 – £400.00 | Additional £300.00 – £480.00 |
| 2b. Issuing a claim of £5,001 – £10,000 | As above, for a claim in the higher band. | Additional £450.00 – £650.00 | Additional £540.00 – £780.00 |
| 3. Applying for judgment in default | Entering judgment where no acknowledgment of service or defence is filed, and writing to the other side to request payment once judgment is received. | Additional £75.00 – £150.00 | Additional £90.00 – £180.00 |
| Claims over £10,000 | Scoped once we have seen the paperwork, either as a fixed fee for the stages involved or on our hourly rates. | Fixed fee or estimate on request (hourly rates £195.00 – £295.00) | — |
Court fees
The court charges a fee to issue a claim. This is a disbursement, payable in addition to our fees, and it is set by HM Courts & Tribunals Service rather than by us.
| Claim value | Court issue fee |
|---|---|
| Up to £5,000 | £35 – £205, depending on the amount claimed |
| £5,001 – £10,000 | £455 |
| £10,001 – £200,000 | 5% of the value of the claim |
| Over £200,000 | £10,000 |
If a claim is defended, the court allocates it to a track: the small claims track for most claims up to £10,000, the fast track generally for claims up to £25,000, the intermediate track generally for claims above £25,000 and up to £100,000, and the multi-track for more complex claims that are not suitable for the other tracks. Allocation affects how the claim is managed and which costs can be recovered, and we will advise you on the position if your claim is defended.
How the staged fees work
You pay only for the stages you reach
Most undisputed debts are paid after a letter before action. Where that happens, the costs stop at the first stage and nothing further is charged.
Each stage is confirmed before it starts
We confirm the fee for the next stage in writing, and where it falls in the published range, before beginning that work. Nothing is started without your agreement.
Disputed or more complex matters
If the debtor disputes the claim, enforcement is required, or the matter becomes more complex, we will explain the further work and provide revised costs. This may be another fixed fee or an hourly-rate estimate.
Should you wish to proceed with a claim, please note that:
- Court fees are payable in addition to our fees. Court fees do not attract VAT.
- The VAT element of our fee cannot be reclaimed from your debtor.
- Interest and compensation may take the debt into a higher band, with a higher cost.
- The costs listed above exclude all enforcement actions, e.g. bailiff to collect your debt.
- The costs listed above exclude all appeal work or further advice and action.
- The costs listed above exclude any other related matter.
Taken together, the stages above cover:
- Taking your instructions and reviewing documentation.
- Undertaking appropriate searches.
- Sending a letter before action and dealing with the response.
- Receiving payment and sending it on to you, or if the debt is not paid, drafting and issuing a claim.
- Entering judgment in default if no acknowledgment of service or defence is filed with the court.
- Writing to the other side to request payment when judgment in default is received.
- If payment is not received within 28 days, further advice on next steps and likely costs.
4.Conditional Fee Agreements
In some circumstances, we may consider entering into a Conditional Fee Arrangement with you. We may be able to offer a Conditional Fee Arrangement in certain personal injury cases. This is only applicable to those bringing the claim and not those defending a claim.
If we enter into this type of arrangement with you, our fees are determined as a percentage of the amount that you achieve if you win. A “win” would include any settlement reached or following an award. Our success fees are calculated on a case-by-case basis.
What you need to know about the success fee
- The success fee is assessed individually on each case, taking account of the prospects of success and the risk we take on.
- In personal injury claims the success fee will not exceed the applicable statutory cap, currently 25% of the damages awarded for the injury itself and for past losses. It excludes damages for future care and future losses.
- You will receive written confirmation of the percentage before you enter into the agreement, and we will not proceed on that basis until you have agreed it.
- Disbursements are dealt with separately and may be deducted from your damages where applicable. These can include After the Event (ATE) insurance premiums, medical reports, court fees and counsel's fees.
- You may become liable for our fees at our hourly rates if you breach the agreement or terminate it before the matter concludes.
If you were unsuccessful in your claim, you would not be required to pay our fees. There are exceptions to this which are set out below.
You will always be required to pay any disbursements incurred (whether you are successful or not) and these will usually be required on account prior to the costs being incurred.
The agreement is limited to pursuit of your claims. It does not cover:
- any claims or counterclaims brought against you; or
- any appeals.
Disbursements
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as medical expert fees, court fees, counsel's fees and any After the Event (ATE) insurance premium. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. Medical expert fees depend upon the knowledge and experience of the expert and the nature and extent of the examinations required. Counsel's fees are estimated between £750 and £3,500 per day (excluding VAT), depending on the experience of the barrister, for attending a court hearing (including preparation).
Where ATE insurance is appropriate we will explain what it covers and what it costs before it is taken out. Disbursements are separate from the success fee and may be deducted from your damages where applicable. We will set out the full deduction — success fee and disbursements — in writing before you enter into the agreement.
Breach of the agreement
If you breach the agreement, you would be required to pay our fees calculated on the basis of the relevant hourly rate for the fee earners conducting the work (as set out in our Terms of Engagement). Breaching the agreement can include not acting in accordance with our advice, being untruthful in your representation of your claim to us or failing to provide in advance any payment required in respect of any disbursements which may be incurred. This is not exhaustive and we would provide further information prior to entering into this type of agreement. If you terminate the agreement prior to conclusion of the matter or become incapable of continuing with the matter, you would be required to pay our fees calculated on the basis of the relevant hourly rate.
Need a clear quote?
Tell us about your matter and we will confirm whether it is suitable for a fixed fee, a staged quote, or an hourly-rate estimate.
Request a confidential call