It's very important to be open and honest about our prices.
Esther Woodhouse
Paralegal (GCILEX)
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Our Private Client department is one of the largest in the region, with specialists in wills, probate, trusts, estates and tax planning. Every year we give thousands of people the peace of mind of knowing their affairs have been left in the best of hands. Our well-respected teams regularly feature in the key legal directories, with our Private Client team receiving top tier ranking in the Legal 500 year after year.
The way we work.
At all times we will:
The business of administering an estate can be broadly divided into three stages.
Roythornes offers a range of probate services so you can choose what service and costs best suits your circumstances. This may range from a simple ‘grant only’ application where the personal representatives then take personal responsibility for completing the administration, up to very complex full probate administration where we can provide a complete service. Our charges will reflect the time required, the level of complexity involved and expertise of the adviser best suited to manage the matter.
All costs quoted or estimated are exclusive of VAT and disbursements.
Time-based costs – hourly rate
Our professional fees can be calculated based on the hourly rates of the fee earner(s) working on the case as follows;
Fee earner | Range per hour (ex VAT) |
Partner or equivalent | £200 - £300 |
Associate/senior solicitor | £175 - £230 |
Other solicitors | £140 - £175 |
Legal executives | £140 - £201 |
Paralegal/trainee solicitors | £100 - £130 |
It will typically take between 10 and 50 hours of professional time to complete the administration of most estates. Total costs may therefore be between £1,000 and £15,000 (+VAT).
The cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is a valid will or simple intestacy, one beneficiary, no property, and no liability to Inheritance Tax (IHT) costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, numerous properties, multiple bank accounts other investments and business interests, and IHT Tax payable, costs will be at the higher end.
Value-based costs – fixed rate
As an alternative, we are happy to discuss the provision of a full service fixed fee based on a percentage of the gross value of assets to which the deceased was entitled at the date of their death*;
Estate value | % | Estimate |
0 - £100,000 | 2.5 | minimum £2,500 |
£100,000 - £250,000 | 2.25 | £2,250 - £5,625 |
£250,000 - £500,000 | 2.00 | £5,000 - £10,000 |
£500,000 - £1,000,000 | 1.75 | £8,750 - £17,500 |
£1,000,000 - £5,000,000 | 1.50 | £17,500 plus |
Disbursements and VAT apply
* Based on gross estate for IHT purposes which includes the value of the deceased’s share in jointly owned property based on full mathematical share asset value.
Grant only service
We offer a fixed fee service to obtain the grant of probate only on the following basis.
Grant only. All information provided.Non-taxable estate. | £750 - £1,000 |
Grant only. All information provided. Taxable estate. | £1,200 - £2,000 |
Grant only. Roythornes compiling estate information. Non-taxable estate. | £2,000 - £5,000 |
Grant only. Roythornes compiling estate information. Taxable estate. | £3,000 - £6,000 |
Full service retainer
The following elements of advice and activity will generally be included in our probate retainer with the personal representatives of an estate:
Unless agreed otherwise, the following elements are not generally included in our probate retainer as these items are typically outside of the scope of a standard estate administration. We would however be pleased to assist you with these matters, and will be happy to provide quotes for the work involved;
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees and typically include:-
It is difficult to predict how long it is likely to take to complete a probate administration. We aim to reach a conclusion to the matter somewhere between nine to 12 months from making a start. If a grant of probate is required we aim to obtain the document from the court within three to four months of being instructed. Business on receipt of the grant usually takes between six and nine months. Winding up an estate usually takes approximately three to six months. These time guidelines are approximate and each estate can vary depending on the assets and matters involved and information provided to us.