Fees
We are passionate about providing our clients the highest quality advice and support. Our clients are provided with a realistic estimate of their likely costs at the outset and at frequent intervals during their case. We believe in being open about the fees we charge and keeping clients informed at all times.
We offer a variety of ways for clients to manage their legal fees. We offer fixed fees packages for some services, which are detailed on our fixed fee page. These arrangements provide for an agreed amount of work for a completely fixed cost.
We may also be able to tailor an agreed fee for an aspect of your particular case once we are aware of the details of your situation.
In circumstances where a fixed fee arrangement is not appropriate, our work is calculated based on the amount of work undertaken – usually based on an hourly charging rate.
In those cases, we will provide invoices on a monthly basis (unless there are either no or minimal fees in any particular month) so that you are kept up to date with the level of fees at all times.
Where appropriate, we may advise you to seek payment of your fees from your ex-partner and assist you in claiming such a payment via the courts if necessary.
We can also put you in contact with specialist litigation loan companies who provide finance to cover legal fees in appropriate cases.
Our normal methods of payment are on our payments page.
Initial Fixed Fee Interview
We offer a fixed fee appointment which is £240(£200 plus VAT) which can take place virtually by Microsoft Teams, by telephone call, or face-to-face at one of our offices (in Danbury – Essex, Caterham – Surrey or Purley – Surrey).
The meeting entails gathering information about your current situation and what you are seeking advice on, with the lawyer advising you upon this, as well as discussing next steps and a rough cost estimate for your case.
The meeting is then followed up with a written note of the discussions, as well as some useful factsheets and some information regarding the firm.
There are no obligations to instruct following the fixed fee, it is an initial appointment only, which is helpful to gain advice on your current situation.
Fixed Fees
We appreciate that family disputes present a very emotional time for our clients and by being clear about legal costs we can remove further worry from an already stressful situation.
For many of our services we can offer a fixed price for the agreed scope of work to be undertaken, rather than charging for the time it takes. This gives our clients some certainty and enables them to plan ahead.
In more complex cases we may be able to agree an individually tailored fixed fee for each stage of the case. In other cases it may be more appropriate to charge for time taken.
In all cases we will provide an estimate of the costs for each stage and keep you updated on those costs as the case progresses.
We can offer fixed fees for the following services.
Divorce Fixed Fees
Our fees are outlined below and a summary is also available in printable (PDF) form here
We offer a fixed price divorce for both petitioner and respondent if the following apply:
- The divorce is undefended (i.e both parties agree), and
- The court accepts the grounds for divorce (this is usually the case), and
- The UK courts have jurisdiction to deal with the case and it is agreed that the divorce should be dealt with in the UK.
If these do not apply, we can still act for you but we may need to agree a different fee with you due to the extra complexity of the case.
Please note that a “divorce” is a legal process to dissolve a marriage and any discussions about finances, children, property etc are dealt with separately and are not included in the divorce fixed fee.
What’s included
The process is slightly different depending upon whether you are initiating the divorce process (the petitioner) or responding to the other party’s request for a divorce (the respondent). However in all cases your case will be dealt with by one of our expert family law solicitors. Your solicitor will meet with you to discuss and collect all the relevant information, liaise with the other people involved (your spouse and their solicitor for example) and complete all the forms and paperwork. Your solicitor will keep you informed on the progress of your case and discuss any issues that arise.
With these fixed fees we ask for half of our fee plus the court fee in advance with the final half of the fee payable upon the decree nisi being issued.
Divorce – Applicant
The process involves
- Preparing a form called a ‘application’ which sets out the grounds for the divorce
- Where appropriate, agreeing the contents of the petition with your spouse
- Preparing a notice informing the Court we are representing you
- Considering your spouse’s response to the divorce petition
- Preparing a statement in support of your petition and an application to ask the court to proceed with the divorce
- An application for the decree absolute
- Notifying you of each step in the process
We will conduct this work for the following agreed fees
| Our Fee | £750 |
| VAT | £150 |
| Total | £900 |
In addition to this there is a court fee payable to HM Courts and Tribunals Service which is set by the government. This fee is currently £593.
The total costs including VAT and court fee therefore is £1493
Divorce – respondent
The overall process for responding to a divorce is broadly similar, except that you are largely ‘responding’ to paperwork generated by the other party. The process involves:
- The other party generates the petition which your solicitor will discuss with you and explain any implications
- We will produce a form called an “acknowledgement of service” which confirms that you have received the petition and do not wish to object to the divorce.
- Once a date is set for Decree Nisi, we will inform you and provide you with a copy of the Decree Nisi once received from the court
- We will receive the Decree Absolute (the document which legally ends the marriage), check it and forward it on to you.
We will conduct this work for you for the following fee:
| Our Fee | £500 |
| VAT | £100 |
| Total | £600 |
There are no court fees paid by the respondent.
What’s not included
As stated above, these fees apply to the divorce process only. Any negotiations or court action regarding finances, children or domestic abuse are subject to a separate process and charging structure.
Although we are confident that almost all uncontested divorces can be conducted for the fees quoted, occasionally unexpected issues crop up in the middle of a case. If this arises, we may need to review our charges but we will always discuss this with you before taking further action.
NB: as a respondent you may be asked to pay some or all of the legal costs of the petitioner. We will advise you if a claim for costs is made against you and agree a response with you. Any disputes arising between parties on this issue is not included in the fixed fee and we will agree a separate fee for this work.
Wills and LPA fixed fees
Wills and LPA fixed fees
We can offer the following fixed fees for Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney.
Wills
Our fee for Wills includes meeting with you in order to discuss all the issues and gather the required information, preparing the will and arranging for it to be signed and witnessed. We can also arrange for secure will storage with one of our storage providers (this service carries a small annual fee payable directly to the storage provider).
| Simple Will | from £330 |
| Simple Mirror Wills | from £462 |
| Life interest trusts (Mirror Wills) / Protective property trust | from £918 |
| Children’s Trust Wills (Single) | from £363 |
| Children’s Trust Wills (Mirror) | from £522 |
| Discretionary Trust (Single will) | from £627 |
| Discretionary Trust (Mirror wills) | from £1155 |
(all fees include VAT @ 20%)
If you require a more complex will, please contact us to discuss your requirements.
We strongly recommend that your Will is stored professionally, we can arrange this for you
Lasting Power of Attorney
We charge the following fixed fees for preparing Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) and registering them with the Office of the Public Guardian.
| Individual | Couple | |
| Property and Financial affairs | £654(£545+VAT) | £954 (£795+VAT) |
| Health / Personal Welfare | £654 (£545+VAT) | £954 (£795+VAT) |
| Both | £894 (£745+VAT) | £1434 (£1195+VAT) |
Certified copies of LPA (per document) £20
In addition, to register each LPA with the Office of the Public Guardian there is currently a fee of £82 per LPA.
Enduring Powers of Attorney
Registration of a single EPA with the Office of the Public Guardian – £714 (£595+VAT)
In addition, to register each EPA with the Office of the Public Guardian there is currently a fee of £82 per EPA.
Probate Fees
Probate fees
Our detailed costs and typical timing are laid out in detail on the probate page however here is a summary of the fees.
If you need assistance with administering an Estate, we can offer the following services:
| Full administration of an Estate | £315+VAT (per hour)* |
*In accordance with the Law Society’s suggested guidelines, an additional percentage may be made on our final bill, based on the gross value of the assets collected or transferred; the maximum percentages that will be applicated in this case are 0.5% on the residence and 1% on the remaining assets. VAT is added to these charges.
In addition, the Probate Registry fee to register a Grant is currently £300 plus £1.50 for each additional copy.
We recommend that our Clients place Trustee Notices in the local newspaper and London Gazette. This fee varies but is usually in the region of £200-£300. We will obtain a quote for you before the order is made.
If the net Estate is valued under £5,000, the Registry fees are exempt.
Get in touch
If you need any further information or to contact us for advice, please get in touch