Wills, Trusts and Probate
Overview
Probate is the entire process for managing and distributing the assets of a person who has died. We understand that bereavement can be a very emotional event and our supportive team will help you every step of the way.
Our team has over 20 years of collective experience in delivering high quality work in all matters relating to wills and estate administration. The team has particular expertise in high value estates and inheritance tax matters.
Teams
Kulvinder is the Head of the Wills, Trusts and Probate department. She is supervised by Ms Amanjit Lalli, Director of A L Law. Kulvinder qualified as a solicitor in 2000. She is particularly skilled at dealing with all estate matters and has successfully advised on many cases. Kulvinder speaks fluent Punjabi.
Service
Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney
For the preparation of Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney:
• We will charge a fixed fee that we will agree with you at the outset.
• In the event that a home or a hospital visit is required we will advise you at the outset of the additional charge in that regard.
Probate
Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets
We anticipate this will take between 10 and 15 hours work at £250 per hour. Total costs estimated at £2,500 – £3,750 (+VAT).
Any work carried out by Amanjit Lalli is charged at £400 per hour.
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 no more than one property
- There are no more than two bank or building society accounts
- There are no other intangible assets
- There is one beneficiary
- 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
Disbursements not included in this fee:
- Probate application fee of £273
- £5 Swearing of the Signing the Statement of Truth (per executor)
- Bankruptcy – only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary)
- £200 – £250 Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
- £100 – £150 Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.
Disbursements are costs related to your matter 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.
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 to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information.
- If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £1.50 (1 per asset usually).
- Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.
How long will this take?
On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6 – 18 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 8 – 16 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 6 – 8 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets.