Fees

At Dixon Alderton Law we can offer a fixed fee service for much of the work we undertake. For non-fixed fee work, we charge based on our time spent on your matter in accordance with our hourly rates applicable at the time. We may also charge a value element. You will always be kept informed of the charges in a clear and understandable way. If you ask us to carry out additional work we will tell you what this may cost. We will also be clear on any fees payable to third parties on your behalf.

In all cases we offer a free, no obligation consultation during which we can provide you with an idea of the likely costs.

Wills

• Standard single Will – from £150 plus VAT per person
• Standard mirror Wills – from £250 plus VAT per couple

A standard Will does not involve trusts (unless this is a simple trust for a child), specific gifts, tax matters, care fee planning, advice about business assets or assets abroad. Where your Will is more complicated our costs maybe higher, but we will usually be able to offer a fixed fee once we have a clearer idea of your needs.

As a guide, our charges for more complex Wills are likely to be in the region of £400-600 plus VAT but may be less.

Our charges include all meetings, correspondence, advice, acting as a witness to your Will and storage of your Will for as long as you need.

In some cases there will be additional charges for preparing extra documents, for example a certificate of capacity or letter of wishes.

Lasting Power of Attorney

Our charges are for the preparation and registration of each Lasting Power of Attorney:

• For one type of Lasting Power of Attorney (Property and Affairs OR Health and Care) – from £350 plus VAT per person or £500 plus VAT per couple
• For both types of Lasting Power of Attorney – from £500 plus VAT per person or £800 plus VAT per couple

There is a registration fee payable to the Court of £82 per document (unless you are eligible for a remission or reduction depending on your circumstances). You don’t have to register the documents straightaway, but we recommend that you do to ensure that there are no delays if your Attorneys need to use the LPAs in the future.

Grant of Probate Service – Fixed fee probate application

Where there is no Inheritance Tax to pay and a short-form Return of Estate Information is required – £825 plus VAT and disbursements (see below).

Likely additional disbursements not included in this fee:

• Probate application fee £155.00
• Cost for each court sealed copy of the grant £0.50 (usually one per asset required)
• Bankruptcy searches £2.00 per beneficiary
• Newspaper notices to protect against claims from unknown creditors £250.00 (approximately)

Such disbursements are payable to third parties. We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

As part of our fixed fee we will:

• Provide you with a dedicated and experienced 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 application form for you to sign
• Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
• Obtain the Probate and securely send two copies to you

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 4-8 weeks. However, we are reliant on receiving the necessary information from you to proceed.

Estate Administration Service

Where you need us to deal with the full administration of the estate, including obtaining the Grant, collecting and distributing the assets, settling liabilities and arranging payment of the inheritance tax, our fees are based on our hourly rates applicable at the time which are currently £220 per hour plus VAT and disbursements.

Example case:

Where the estate is reasonably straightforward, it will usually take between 15 to 25 hours work at the hourly rate set out above. Total costs estimated at £3,300 – £5,500 plus VAT and disbursements.

The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the 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.

We reserve the right to charge a value element in addition to the hourly rate at a maximum of 0.5% of the gross value of property and 1% of the gross value of the remainder.

We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:

• There is a valid will
• There is no more than one property
• There are no more than 5 bank or building society accounts
• There are no other intangible assets
• There are no more than 5 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 are no claims made against the estate

Likely additional disbursements not included in this fee:

• Probate application fee £155.00
• Cost for each court sealed copy of the grant £0.50 (usually one per asset required)
• Bankruptcy searches £2.00 per beneficiary
• Newspaper notices to protect against claims from unknown creditors £250.00 (approximately)
• HM Land Registry Office Copies £3.00 each
• Settlement fee £12.00

Such disbursements are payable to third parties. We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Potential additional costs:

• If there is no will or the estate consists of any shareholdings (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.
• If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £0.50 (1 per asset usually).
  Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 4 to 12 months. Typically, obtaining the Grant of Probate takes 4-8 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 4-6 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 5-6 weeks.

Where possible we aim to deal with your matter within timescales quoted. We are however reliant on third parties. The timescales are provided as a guide and may be subject to change depending on the circumstances. For example, if there is a property to be sold, the time it takes to reach completion will impact on any timescale given.

Complaints

We want to give you the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we have provided then you should inform us immediately, so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.

In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues at this stage. If you would like to make a formal complaint, then you can request a copy of our full complaints procedure. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.

You can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

What do to if we cannot resolve your complaint

The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case. If you decide to refer a complaint to them it should be:

• Within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint
  And
• No more than six years from the date of act/omission; or
• No more than three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.

If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them using one of the methods below:

Web: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Phone: 0300 555 0333 between 9am and 5pm
Email: [email protected]
Post: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ