Fixed fees agreed before each stage starts
We don’t charge by the hour. Each stage of your matter has a fixed fee, agreed in writing before it begins.
Your quotation also shows the fixed fees for the stages that could follow, what would lead to each one, and the total for each route. So every time you decide whether to go further, you know exactly what you are committing to.
Why we price stages, not hours
In an estate dispute, the cost depends on decisions other people haven’t made yet: whether a co-executor replies, whether a caveator withdraws, whether accounts are provided. Pricing by the hour leaves you carrying that uncertainty.
Pricing by stage puts it where it belongs. You pay a known amount for defined work. The open question at each point is not “how many hours?” but “is the next stage worth it?” — and you can answer that with the figures in front of you.
A worked example: a caveat blocking probate
Using our published caveat fees (including VAT). Not every stage is needed, and each ends at a defined point.
Optional: Dispute Assessment & Action Plan£480
Only if your options need reviewing first. Where the work is clear, we quote for the next stage directly.
Case preparation and initial approach£1,740
Ends with one substantive approach to the caveator and advice on whether a formal warning is proportionate.
If the caveator agrees to withdraw: agreed withdrawal£1,740–£2,340
Consent terms or withdrawal notice to clear the caveat without a contested hearing.
If not: warning procedure£2,340
Ends when the statement of service is submitted to seek removal, or when the caveator responds. The Registry’s decision is outside our control.
If the caveator responds: advice after the response£2,940
Written strategy, one consultation, and one settlement proposal or litigation handover note.
Then, if needed: agreed withdrawal, or application to the Registrar£1,740–£2,340 or £4,620
The Registrar application covers the application, evidence and hearing preparation; hearing advocacy is agreed separately. If a court claim follows, a litigation solicitor acts, with their own fees.
| Work completed (starting with the initial approach) | Total professional fees, including VAT |
|---|---|
| Initial approach, then agreed withdrawal | £3,480–£4,080 |
| Initial approach and warning procedure | £4,080 |
| Initial approach, warning, and advice after a response | £7,020 |
| All of those, then a Registrar application | £11,640 |
Add £480 if you choose the assessment first. These are illustrative totals for defined work, not prices for any outcome. Registry fees and other outside costs are shown separately. Your quotation depends on your facts.
What is fixed, and what isn’t
- Fixed: the fee for the agreed work in each stage, including the follow-up your quotation lists. Silence from the other side doesn’t trigger a new charge.
- Shown separately: Registry fees and any other outside costs, before you commit.
- Agreed first: anything outside the stage, such as new issues or extra documents (£360 including VAT per 30 pages). Nothing is added without your approval.
- Not yet priced: if a later step can’t be defined yet, your quotation says so. We price it before it starts.
- Court claims: we do not bring or defend claims in the High Court or County Court, such as will challenges, executor-removal claims or recovery claims; if one becomes necessary, a litigation solicitor acts for you. Their fees, and any risk of paying another party’s costs, are separate.
A fixed fee pays for the agreed work. It can’t guarantee that the other side will cooperate.
How it starts
- Free enquiry. Tell us what’s stuck. We say whether we can help.
- A fixed quotation, or an assessment first. Where the work is clear, we quote directly. If the options need reviewing first, the Dispute Assessment & Action Plan costs £480 including VAT. It is a standalone service and is not credited against later fees.
- Your quotation. The fixed fee for the next stage, the stages that could follow, and the total for each route.
Questions
Does the fee depend on the size of the estate?
No. It reflects the work, its complexity and the responsibility involved, not the value of the estate.
Can I see an overall figure?
Yes. Your quotation gives the total for each route, built from fixed stage fees, and identifies anything that can’t be priced yet.
What if the matter changes?
We explain what has changed and what the next stage would cost. You decide whether to go ahead.