Services for personal representatives
Executors & administrators
Solicitor advice and defined support when an estate is stuck, for executors and administrators in England and Wales. We do not enter or defend caveats or bring or defend court challenges to a will. Wider court proceedings are handled by a litigation solicitor.
Not sure which service fits? Send a free enquiry → There is no commitment to paid work.
Are you a beneficiary? See our services for beneficiaries →
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, negotiation and further work are separate. | £480 |
| Caveat support | Advice and separately agreed steps concerning a caveat blocking the grant. | The agreed stage is completed. See the full stage scopes and exclusions. | Initial approach £1,740; warning £2,340; response assessment £2,940; agreed withdrawal £1,740–£2,340; Registrar application £4,620. |
| Co-executor decision request | A focused request about the blocked decision and review of the number of replies included in your quotation. | We have sent the letter and reviewed the replies included in your quotation. | Quoted |
| Response to beneficiary accounts questions or objections | Review of the identified concern and records, an agreed response and review of any follow-up replies included in your quotation. | We have sent the response and reviewed the follow-up replies included in your quotation. | Quoted |
| Response to a removal threat | Assessment of the concerns, focused correspondence and any agreed response review before court proceedings. | The agreed response and follow-up work are completed. Court proceedings require a litigation solicitor. | Quoted |
| Defined negotiation or handover preparation | An agreed proposal and a stated number of discussions or letters, or a chronology and core documents for a receiving solicitor. | The agreed discussions and correspondence are completed, or the handover pack is delivered. | Quoted |
Quoted: we confirm a fixed fee after checking the information available. An assessment may be needed; we explain why before you decide. Your quotation states the work, the number of letters, replies or discussions included, and the stopping point. Further work needs your approval.
A fixed fee covers the agreed work; it does not guarantee cooperation, agreement or an order.
Caveat prices are individual stage fees, not a total for resolving the dispute. Agreed withdrawal and a Registrar application are alternative routes. Any separately instructed assessment and authorised further stages are additional unless included in an agreed package. Read the caveat scope, fee breakdown and external costs →
How to start
- Send a free enquiry. Tell us your role, the problem and any deadline. Wait for document instructions.
- We check suitability and conflicts. Where the work is clear, we can quote for a defined service. An assessment is only needed where appropriate.
- Approve the scope and fixed fee. Paid work begins under an agreed instruction. You can use an Action Plan without commissioning further work.
We do not act for opposing sides in the same estate dispute. Conflicts are checked before instruction. Human Law does not issue, conduct or defend executor-removal proceedings, whether contested or agreed. If an application is needed, we can agree preparation of a handover pack for a litigation solicitor.
Have court papers or an urgent deadline? Call 01279 215580 and tell us the date. An enquiry does not pause a deadline; seek prompt advice from a solicitor able to take any urgent court step.
Read more about your problem
Help with a will trust dispute → · Enquiries about how a will was made →
These guides explain the issues in detail; the services above show what you can instruct us to do.
- Co-executor deadlock after probate · A blocked property sale
- Responding to beneficiary accounts requests
- Responding to a removal threat
- Questions about how the will was made
- Estate distribution problems
- Missing beneficiaries · Unresponsive beneficiaries
- Who pays the costs of an executor dispute?
Watch: Three mistakes executors should avoid
Justin Patten discusses conflicts of interest, keeping an overview of the estate and staying objective when emotions run high.
Read the transcript
The three most common mistakes of an executor, number one, is when the executor acts in his own interest to the detriment of the beneficiaries. That is the biggest error or mistake that an executor can make. The second mistake that an executor can make is when they fail to have an overview about what is happening on the estate. They fail to understand what is important, what is not important. That leads to them not dealing with what really gets the estate moving. They don't focus on what is important. The third mistake that an executor makes is getting sucked into the day-to-day grittiness or the emotions of the other party. The best way for an executor to secure long-term outcomes is by being neutral, detached and giving minimal reason for the other side to criticise the executor.
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
You do not need to know which service you need. Tell us your role, what is stuck and any deadline.
Prefer to speak? 01279 215580 · Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm.
Thank you — your enquiry has been received.
Justin will check whether we can help and whether there is a conflict of interest, then explain the proposed next step and any work and fixed fee for you to consider. This enquiry does not mean we have accepted instructions or started work.
Please give a brief overview only. Do not send documents or detailed sensitive information yet. If we can help, we will explain which documents to send and how to send them securely.
Have a deadline? Call 01279 215580 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.