The Solicitors Regulation Authority require us to comply with certain regulations concerning information provided to potential clients who are considering whether to instruct us to represent them in the administration of the estate of a deceased person where all the assets are in the United Kingdom and there is no dispute.
This is how the RMNJ Solicitors probate department complies with these regulations.
The wording of the rules we have to comply with and our responses are below.
We will provide you with a written estimate of the cost based on the number of hours we expect the case to take to provide a figure for the total cost of the service. We can provide the best information on that once we have a list of the deceased's assets and liabilities. If there is a house sale linked to the administration of the estate the cost of the conveyancing can be found in our conveyancing section of this web site. It is additional to the cost of dealing wit the Probate or Letters of Administration of the estate.
We charge £210 - £285 plus VAT per hour for the work we do. The amount charged per hour is based on the complexity of the matter. We will confirm the fee with you before starting work. Your work will be conducted by an experienced solicitor or Chartered ILEX.
All you need to do is click on the "staff" tab in our Probate department web pages and this information is available for you, together with our photographs.
These are all set out in your estimate. Disbursements are things we pay for on your behalf. For example, court fee to obtain grant of Probate. Note: we don't make a profit on disbursements, we only charge you the actual cost we have paid for the search or other expenditure set out in the quote.
Your estimate clearly sets out what does and does not attract VAT and how much it will be.
The estimate we give includes gathering information about the deceased's assets and liabilities perusing the will of the deceased or advising on the situation generally if there is no will obtaining a grant of probate or letters of Administration gathering the assets and discharging the liabilities of the estate preparing an estate account for the Executors or Personal Representatives as appropriate and accounting to the beneficiaries under the will or according to the intestacy rules if there is no valid will in place.
All steps up to and including preparation of application for Grant. Estimated timescale dependent upon size and complexity of estate 4-26 weeks.
Submitting receiving and checking Grant. Estimated timescale 1-4 weeks.
Realising all assets and discharging all liabilities including publication of statutory notices ;Preparing and approving estate accounts and distribution thereafter. Estimated timescale 12-26 weeks.
Please note that the estimates given are for guidance only. Inheritance tax estates, estates involving sale of shares and real estate, estates including business interests, missing wills, beneficiaries or assets, issues for resolution between executors or beneficiaries may increase the estimates on a case by case basis.
Details of any services that are not included which might reasonably be expected to be included in the price.
Our hourly rate remains the same, but our time estimate and the cost may increase if the estate proves to be insolvent.
Our complaints handling procedure including details of how to complain to the Legal Ombudsman and the Solicitors Regulation Authority is all in the Client Care section of our web site a link to which is on every page of our website by clicking on "client care".
RMNJ's Solicitors Regulation Authority number and its "digital badge" is to be published on the footer of every page of the web site. Note: At time of preparation of this note, November 2018, details of the "digital badge" had not been released by Solicitors Regulation Authority.
RMNJ's letterhead and email correspondence shows this information in the footer of both formats.