Probate Costs

Please note that the following information is for guidance only.  We will provide you with a formal estimate for the costs involved in administering an estate after an initial consultation with you, once we have all the necessary information to hand relating to the estate.

Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets

We anticipate that making an application for a grant of probate, collecting and distributing the assets will take between 16 and 22 hours work. The level of fees for this work will depend on which fee earner is dealing with the matter and their level of expertise. There are currently 5 fee earners in the department whose rates are as follows:

Jennifer Robinson

Solicitor

£260.00 plus VAT charged at 20%

Stephanie Chung

Associate

£280.00 plus VAT charged at 20%

Sherelle O'Brien

Associate

£285.00 plus VAT charged at 20%

Colleen Dooney

Director

£295.00 plus VAT charged at 20%

Please note that these rates change on annual basis and are to be considered in conjunction with the potential additional costs listed further down this page.

The range of fees for junior members is therefore £4,160 plus VAT - £5,720 plus VAT (charged at 20%) and for senior members £5,120 plus VAT - £7040 plus VAT (charged at 20%). 

Wherever possible we try to allocate the work to the most appropriate fee earner with the most suitable level of expertise so that the more straightforward and simple probates are dealt with by fee earners with lower hourly rates of charge.

We will handle the full process for you.  These estimates are for estates where:

Disbursements are costs relating to your matter which are payable to third parties, such as Court fees. We will handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smooth process.

Disbursements likely to be incurred in this type of work which are not subject to VAT:

Disbursements likely to be incurred in this type of work which are subject to VAT charged at 20%:

Work included

As part of the costs estimated above we will:

Potential Additional Costs

All of the following factors are likely to increase the costs estimated above (and this could range significantly depending on the estate and how it is to be dealt with):

Please note that this list is not exhaustive.  We can give you a more accurate estimate once we have more information. 

Please also note that:

How long will the process take?

On average simple estates are dealt with within 6 to 12 months, Typically obtaining the grant of probate takes 2 to 3 weeks (but this can take 4-6 months if the probate registry has a backlog of applications), collecting assets then following which can take between 4 to 8 weeks.  Once this has been done we can distribute the assets which normally takes in the region of 2 to 3 weeks.

Team

Our team has over 165 years of collective experience in delivering high quality work in all matters relating to wills and estate administration.  The team has particular expertise in high value estates, trust administration and inheritance tax matters.  We have 5 members of the team who may work on your matter.  Regardless who works on your matter they will be supervised by Colleen Dooney, Private client Operations Director. 

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