Services for beneficiaries
Help for beneficiaries when an estate is stuck
For beneficiaries in England and Wales seeking estate accounts or advice and negotiation about executor replacement before court proceedings. We do not act for will challengers or caveators, or conduct executor-removal proceedings, recovery proceedings or wider contested litigation.
Not sure which service fits? Send a free enquiry → There is no commitment to paid work.
Executors and administrators, including those who are also beneficiaries: see support for your role as a personal representative →
Which problem is yours?
Services, scope and fees
| Service | What is included | Where it ends | Fee including VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dispute Assessment & Action Plan | Up to 40 selected core pages on one main issue, a 30-minute consultation and a two-page Action Plan. | Action Plan delivered. Letters, applications and negotiation are separate. | £480, only if needed and separately instructed. |
| Estate accounts: formal request | Review of selected records, one focused formal letter and assessment of one substantive reply. | The letter is sent and one substantive reply is assessed, with a recommendation on the next step. | £780. The assessment needed for this letter is included. |
| Estate accounts: Registry application | Where appropriate, an inventory-and-account application within the published scope. | Determination on the papers within the agreed scope and allowances. | £2,340. Both separately authorised accounts stages: £3,120. |
| Executor replacement: correspondence before proceedings | Advice and a proposal about replacement or a narrower remedy, with correspondence and response review defined in the quotation. | The quoted letter and reply-review allowance is completed. | Fixed fee agreed after we check the information available; an assessment may be needed. |
| Executor replacement: defined negotiation or handover | A quoted negotiation allowance about a proposed change, or preparation of an agreed handover pack. | The quoted negotiation allowance is completed or the handover pack is delivered. We do not issue or conduct proceedings. | Fixed fee agreed after we check the information available; an assessment may be needed. |
Estate accounts: Read the full scope, exclusions and fee breakdown → The £3,120 combined professional fee applies only if both standard stages are separately authorised. Registry fees and agreed external costs are additional. A separate £480 assessment is not an automatic extra charge.
Executor replacement: Read the service scope and court boundary → Correspondence and negotiation allowances are defined in each written quotation. Further exchanges or a handover pack need a separately agreed scope and fee; they are not automatic charges.
We assess whether replacement or a narrower remedy may be appropriate. Neither a letter nor an agreement itself completes every legal step; a court application may still be needed. Our role stops before issue. Where proceedings are needed, we can prepare a separately agreed chronology, evidence summary and issues note for a receiving litigation solicitor, who independently assesses the case and agrees their own fees. Replacement, agreement and recovery of costs are not guaranteed.
How to start
- Send a free enquiry. Describe what is missing or preventing progress, requests already made and any deadline. Wait for instructions before sending documents.
- We check suitability and conflicts. Where the work is clear, we can quote directly for a defined service. An assessment may be needed; it is not compulsory for every enquiry.
- Approve the work and fee. Each instruction identifies its documents, correspondence, reply-review or negotiation allowance and stopping point. You decide before paid work starts.
We do not act for opposing sides in the same estate dispute. Conflicts are checked before instruction.
Do not assume that the estate will pay your fees or that another party will reimburse them. Court fees and the receiving litigation solicitor’s fees are separate. If court papers have arrived, assets are at immediate risk or a deadline is approaching, obtain prompt advice from a solicitor able to take the required step. An enquiry does not pause a deadline.
Read more about your problem
- Obtaining missing estate accounts
- Executor replacement: grounds, costs and alternatives
- Options when an executor is not acting
- Why an executor may be withholding payment — information only; we first check whether the concern fits our defined services.
- Who pays the costs of an executor dispute?
Work directly with Justin Patten
Justin is a practising solicitor with more than 20 years’ experience in dispute resolution and private-client law. He founded Human Law in 2002. About Justin →
Tell us what is stuck
A brief outline is enough to start. We will check whether we can help and explain the proposed work and fixed fee before you decide.
Prefer to speak? 01279 215580 · Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm.
Thank you — your enquiry has been received.
We will consider your outline and explain the proposed next step. Please wait for instructions before sending documents. No paid work has been authorised by this enquiry.
Have a deadline? Call and tell us the date. An enquiry does not pause a deadline. If urgent protection or court action is needed, seek prompt advice from a solicitor able to take that step rather than waiting for our reply.
You can also email advice@human-law.co.uk.