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Legal Fee Guide

SALE OR PURCHASE OF RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY

Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the purchase of your new home, including dealing with the registration at the Land Registry and dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) if the property is in England, or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property you wish to buy is in Wales.

LEGAL FEES

Base legal fee from £625.00

Electronic money transfer fee £35.00

Identity and fraud check fees £58.00

VAT £143.60

Sub-total £861.60

Disbursements
Search fees: £230.00
HM Land Registry fee £75.00+ depending on property value

VAT £46.00

Sub-total £349.00

Estimated total fee including disbursements and VAT (excluding stamp duty or land tax – see below): £1,210.60

Potential legal fees that will be charged in addition to the above, if applicable.
Leasehold house fee: £100.00 + £20.00 vat = £120.00

Leasehold flat fee: £150.00 + £30.00 vat = £180.00
New build or shared ownership fee: £195.00 + £39.00 VAT = £234.00
Help-to-buy ISA fee: £50.00 + £10.00 vat = £60.00

Our fee assumes that:

  • this is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction
  • if applicable, there is an assignment of an existing lease and not the grant of a new lease
  • the transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complications arise
  • all parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from the parties providing documentation
  • no indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are required

For an accurate and transparent quote bespoke to your circumstances please click here.

EXPENSES/DISBURSEMENTS

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Additional disbursements for the purchase of a leasehold property such as a Notice of Transfer fee, Notice of Charge fee, Deed of Covenant fee, and Certificate of Compliance fee. These fees vary from property to property. We can give you an accurate figure once we have had sight of your specific documents. Also, please note that ground rent and service charge are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. We will confirm such details as soon as we receive this information.

STAMP DUTY OR LAND TRANSACTION TAX (ON PURCHASE)

This depends on the purchase price of your property. You can calculate the amount you need pay by using HMRC’s website at https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax/#/intro or, if the property is located in Wales, by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website at https://gov.wales/land-transaction-tax-calculator

OUR TEAM

Our team has over 100 years of collective experience in delivering high-quality work in all matters relating to residential property transactions. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by Steve Williams, Head of Property, Solicitor.

PROBATE AND ESTATE ADMINISTRATION

GRANT OF PROBATE ONLY (IHT 205)

Legal fee: £650.00 + £130.00 VAT = £780.00
Disbursements
Court fee: £155
Office copy fee for Grants: £1.50 per copy Grant (2 minimum) = £3.00

Estimated total fee including disbursments and vat: £938.00

GRANT OF PROBATE IHT (IHT 400)

Legal fee if no tax is payable: £1,000.00+ £200.00 VAT = £1,200.00
Legal fee if tax is payable: £1,500.00 + £300.00 VAT = £1,800.00

Disbursements
Court fee: £155
Office copy fee for Grants: £1.50 per copy Grant (2 minimum) = £3.00

Estimated total including disbursements and VAT if no tax is payable: £1,358.00

Estimated total including disbursements and VAT if tax is payable: £1,958.00

NB: Tax will be calculated separately if it is payable in addition to the above figures as it is dependent on the value of the estate.

ESTATE ADMINISTRATION

Legal fee based on an hourly rate of £250.00 + £50.00 vat = £300.00 inc vat

Minimum fee is £1,000.00 + £200.00 vat = £1,200.00 inc vat

Disbursements
Court fee: £155

Office copy fee for Grants: £1.50 per copy Grant (2 minimum) = £3.00

Estimated minimum fee including disbursements and VAT: £1,358.00

A general guide to our overall fee is 2%-3% of gross estate value + 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 will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:

  • there is a valid will
  • there is not more than one property
  • there are no more than 2 bank or building society accounts
  • there are no other intangible assets
  • there are 2- 3 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 is no inheritance tax payable, and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
  • there are no claims made against the estate

NB: the fee quoted does not include any conveyancing services.

IHT217 (CLAIM TO TRANSFER UNUSED NIL-RATE BAND FOR EXCEPTED ESTATES)

Legal fee: £75.00 + £15.00 VAT = £90.00

Potential additional costs:

  • if there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there is likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending on the estate and how it is dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information; and
  • dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included
  • advice in relation to Trusts and the administration of the same

Depending upon the extent of your instructions, as part of our fee we will:

  • provide you with a dedicated and experienced lawyer 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 oath for you to swear
  • make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
  • obtain the Probate and securely send two copies to you
  • collect and distribute all assets in the estate

HOW LONG WILL THIS TAKE?

Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 6-8 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take 2-3 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 6-10 weeks, dependant on how complex the estate is.

OUR TEAM

Our team has over 5 years of collective experience in delivering high-quality work in all matters relating to probate and estate administration. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by Les Walton, Solicitor and Director of Wilford Smith, who has been a solicitor for over 40 years and has over 30 years of experience dealing with disputes arising from wills and the administration of estates.

MOTORING OFFENCES

Legal fee

Drink driving offence, guilty plea

Minimum fixed fee from £850.00 + £170.00 VAT = £1,020.00

Fee includes:

  • two hours attendance/preparation
    • considering evidence
    • taking your instructions
    • providing advice on likely sentence
  • attendance and representation at a single hearing at the Magistrates Court

The fee does not include:

  • instruction of any expert witnesses
  • taking statements from any witnesses
  • advice and assistance in relation to a special reason hearing
  • advice or assistance in relation to any appeal
  • travel expenses at 45p per mile or standard train fares, plus VAT– such expenses will be agreed with you

The following key stages are based on the presumption that you have entered a guilty plea and have a date for your hearing.

  • Obtain your instructions on what happened
  • Consider initial disclosure, and any other evidence and provide advice
  • Arranging to take any witness statements if necessary (this will have an additional cost, of £250.00+£50.00 VAT = £300.00 per hour)
  • Explain the court procedure to you so you know what to expect on the day of your hearing, and the sentencing options available to the court
  • Conduct any further preparatory work, obtain further instructions from you if necessary and answer any follow up queries you have
  • We cannot provide a timescale of when your hearing will take place, as this depends on the court listing for that day
  • Attend court on the day and meet with you before going to the court. We anticipate being at court for half a day
  • Discuss the outcome with you. If advice is required on appeal, this will carry an additional cost

OUR TEAM

Our team has over 150 years of collective experience in delivering high-quality work in all matters relating to motoring offences. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by Mark Bates.

IMMIGRATION

Our Immigration Law experts can advise you on all aspects of immigration law – see here for more details.

APPLICATION FOR LEAVE TO REMAIN

Legal fee based on an hourly rate of £250.00 + £50.00 VAT = £300.00

The exact number of hours it will take depends on the circumstances in your case, such as:

  • The amount of supporting evidence that we need to consider
  • If anything is missing or needs translating
  • Which language(s) you speak
  • Whether you are applying with other dependants

What services are included:

  • Advising you on all your options
  • Preparing and submitting any application
  • Attending any Home Office interviews that you need to attend

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as:

  • Interpreters’ fees
  • Independent expert reports, for example, medical experts

If there is an interview that we need to attend, there will be additional disbursements in respect of our travel expenses at 45p per mile or standard train fares, plus VAT– such expenses will be agreed with you.We pay disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

The costs quoted for you do not include:

Estimated minimum fee including VAT, but not including disbursements: £900.00

OUR TEAM

Our team has over 10 years of collective experience in delivering high-quality work in immigration supporting both individuals and corporates. Regardless of who works on your matter, every Advisor is supervised by Mark Bates, Head of Immigration.

DEFENDING CLAIMS FOR EMPLOYERS FOR UNFAIR OR WRONGFUL DISMISSAL

Legal fee examples:

Simple case:

£1,000.00 + £200 VAT = £1,200 to

£6,000.00 + £1,200 VAT = £7,200.00

Medium complexity case:

£6,000.00 + £1,200.00 VAT = £7,200.00 to

£15,000.00 + £3,000.00 VAT = £18,000.00

High complexity case:

£15,000.00 + £3,000.00 VAT = £18,000.00

£45,000.00 + £9,000.00 VAT = £54,000.00

Factors that could make a case more complex:

  • If it is necessary to defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim
  • Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person
  • Defending a costs application
  • Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties)
  • The number of witnesses and documents
  • If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. the employee has been dismissed after blowing the whistle
  • Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal
  • TUPE claims where it is denied or disputed whether TUPE applies
  • Equal Pay claims
  • Collective consultation claims
  • Claims brought against Managers and Directors as well as the Company

There may be an additional charge for attending a Tribunal Hearing of £2,000 + £400.00 VAT = £2,400.00 per day. Generally, we would allow 1-10 days depending on the complexity of the case.

DISBURSEMENTS

  • Disbursements are costs related to the case that are payable to third parties, such as court fees
  • We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process
  • If Counsel is needed to represent you at the hearing, Counsel’s fees are estimated to be between £2,000.00 to £5,000.00 per day (depending on experience of the advocate) in addition to our fees for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation)
  • Any travel expenses will be charged at 45p per mile or standard train fares, plus VAT– such expenses will be agreed with you

KEY STAGES

The fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:

  • Taking initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on merits and likely compensation (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change)
  • Entering into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached
  • Preparing a response
  • Reviewing and advising on claim or response from other party
  • Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process
  • Considering a schedule of loss
  • Preparing for (and attending) a Preliminary Hearing, including instructions to Counsel where necessary
  • Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents
  • Considering the documents disclosed from the other party and providing you with further advice
  • Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses
  • Preparing bundle of documents
  • Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements
  • Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list
  • Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing, including instructions to Counsel
  • Preparation and attendance at a Remedy Hearing, including instructions to Counsel

The stages set out above are an indication and if some of stages above are not required, the fee will be reduced. You may wish to handle the defence yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged on your individual needs.

HOW LONG WILL THE CASE TAKE?

The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of the case depends largely on the stage at which the case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, the case is likely to take 4-8 weeks. If the claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, the case is likely to take 26-104 weeks. This is just an estimate, and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.

OUR TEAM

Enrique Garcia, a Chartered Legal Executive Advocate, CILEx Litigator and Advocate (Civil), leads our employment law team and is responsible for supervising it. He has over 10 years’ experience in dealing with employment disputes.  We always make sure that junior solicitors and members of staff are supported and supervised appropriately so that the quality of advice is not affected, regardless of who is working on the case.

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At Wilford Smith we are invested in your success. Our team will get to know you, your family, your business, and your market sector. To us, you and needs are unique. You can be confident that by instructing us, we will take care of all your legal matters throughout your lifetime, providing creative solutions and protecting your best interests.

CONTACT  US

SHEFFIELD

  • Meadowhall Business Park
  • S9 2EQ
  • Tel: 0808 164 4106
  • Fax: 0844 225 0572

ROTHERHAM

  • Smithy House 22 Westgate,
  • Rotherham S60 1AP
  • Tel: 0808 164 4106
  • Fax: 0844 225 0572

LONDON

  • 20 Old Bailey
  • LondonEC4M 7AN
  • By appointment only
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2024 Wilford Smith is the trading name of WS Strategic Ltd. a limited company registered in England and Wales, registration number 07777022. Registered office – Meadowhall Business Park, Sheffield S9 2EQ. We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. SRA Registration Number 640898.