Family law
Family law fees
Divorce is a fixed fee. Financial settlement and other family matters are charged at an hourly rate, with set charges for correspondence.
Dean McCarthy
£220per hour + VAT
- Letters, emails and telephone calls sent: £22 + VAT each
- Letters and emails received: £11 + VAT each
- Text and WhatsApp messages sent and received: £5.50 + VAT each
Michael Cummings
from £235per hour + VAT
- Letters and calls: £24 + VAT each
Immigration
Immigration fixed fees
A single published fee for each type of application.
£1,000
- Citizenship, registration and naturalisation as a British citizen
- Visitors' visa applications
- EU law applications
£1,500
- Leave to remain and extensions based on family and private life
- Leave to remain and extensions as a spouse or partner
- Entry clearance applications
- Settlement applications
- Points based system (student applications)
£2,000
- Investor applications
- Skilled Worker visas
- Detention, removal and deportation matters
- Appeals
£3,000
- Judicial review applications
Probate
Probate fees
Uncontested probate is where there is no dispute over the Will or the distribution of assets. VAT is payable on our fees and some disbursements, currently 20%.
Grant of probate only
Estates not liable for inheritance tax
£900+ VAT£1,080 Inc. VAT
Estates subject to inheritance tax
£1,500+ VAT£1,800 Inc. VAT
Fixed fees plus disbursements. Our instructions are limited to obtaining the grant; collecting assets, paying liabilities and distributing the estate are costed separately.
Uncontested estate administration
Estates up to £1m
1% of gross value
0.5% for a jointly owned residence or matrimonial home.
Estates £1m to £4m
As above, excess over £1m at 0.5%
Estates over £4m
As above, excess over £5m at 0.25%
Hourly rates if work moves outside the fixed fee
- Partners
- £250 + VAT
- £300 Inc. VAT
- Solicitors, senior solicitors and consultants
- £225 – £235 + VAT
- £270 – £282 Inc. VAT
- Paralegals and trainee solicitors
- £220 + VAT
- £264 Inc. VAT
Disbursements and other costs
Disbursements are costs payable to third parties. We pay them on your behalf and you will receive a full list in our formal quotation.
- Certainty will search
- £105 + VAT (£126)
- Probate Registry fee on application
- £300 plus £1.50 per copy
- Estate search: investigation of assets and liabilities
- £195 + VAT (£234)
- Trustee Act notices: London Gazette and local press
- £180 – £300
- UK bankruptcy search
- Up to £10 per legatee or beneficiary
- Online identity check, each client and probate beneficiary
- £2.50 + VAT (£3.00)
- Electronic money transfer
- £32 + VAT (£38.40)
The small print
- Our average probate fees assume the matter concludes in a timely manner, all parties co-operate, there are no claims against the estate or disagreements between beneficiaries or executors, and we can easily trace all assets and beneficiaries.
- Further costs may arise where inheritance tax is payable, probate may be contested, there are multiple properties or assets outside England and Wales, trusts in the Will, missing beneficiaries, or where there is no Will or the estate holds shares.
- Estates over £325,000 may be subject to inheritance tax at the prevailing rates.
- Typical timescales: obtaining the grant takes 6 – 8 weeks, collecting assets 16 – 32 weeks and distribution 32 – 48 weeks. Estates in this range are usually dealt with in 6 – 12 months.
Questions about our fees? Call 020 7738 6777