Fixed-Fee Support for Stalled Probate Administrations
Begin with a defined review. Fund one agreed stage at a time. No open-ended hourly billing.
Human Law identifies the principal blockage, recommends the proportionate route and confirms the scope and fixed fee before each stage begins. You decide whether to proceed. No subsequent stage or additional work is undertaken without your written approval.
Choose Your Entry Point
Stage 01 — Factual Audit & Action Plan
For an executor or administrator seeking clarity about a stalled estate.
- a 30-minute solicitor consultation;
- review of up to 20 selected core pages;
- identification of the principal factual or procedural blockage;
- a concise two-page Action Plan;
- initial consideration of identifiable holding costs; and
- a recommendation for the appropriate next step.
Professional File Review
For a private-client practice seeking focused external analysis while remaining the instructing client.
- review of up to 60 selected core pages and any concise chronology supplied by the practice;
- a 30-minute consultation with the responsible fee-earner;
- identification of one principal procedural or contentious blockage;
- concise written recommendations addressing the immediate options, risks and next steps; and
- a recommended route: retain the matter in-house, instruct a defined Human Law stage or refer it to an appropriate litigation practice.
What Might the Next Stage Cost?
The initial review determines whether further work is appropriate. If it is, Human Law offers one separately scoped fixed-fee stage.
| Area of support | Indicative individual stage fees | Principal focus |
|---|---|---|
| Caveat Resolution | £1,450–£3,850 + VAT | Warnings, post-response assessment and agreed or Registry disposal |
| Estate Dispute and Deadlock | £1,150–£5,500 + VAT | Inactive executors, accounting concerns, threatened claims and settlement |
| Structural Clarity Report™ | £2,500–£4,500 + VAT | Complex, multi-party or multi-issue professional files |
Each figure is the fee for one individual stage, not the complete pathway. Further stages are undertaken only where necessary and after their scope and fixed fee have been approved in writing.
Examples of Defined Support
Depending on the findings of the initial review, a fixed-fee stage may address:
- a caveat preventing the Grant;
- an inactive or unresponsive executor;
- estate-information or accounting concerns;
- a threatened financial provision claim;
- a disputed lifetime gift or transaction;
- a defined settlement or ADR step; or
- preparation for an orderly litigation handover.
Complex or High-Volume Files
Published fees assume a defined issue supported by reasonably organised and relevant documents.
Additional documents may be reviewed through an agreed Document Expansion Module at £300 plus VAT per additional 30 pages.
Substantially larger files, unindexed historic records, several parties or overlapping disputes may require a bespoke fixed fee or a Structural Clarity Report™. The scope, deliverables and price are agreed before substantive work begins.
What the Published Fees Exclude
Published figures refer to Human Law’s professional fees and exclude:
- VAT;
- Probate Registry or court fees;
- process-server fees;
- counsel’s fees;
- expert evidence; and
- other agreed third-party expenses.
Any necessary third-party cost is explained and agreed before it is incurred.
Our Fee Commitments
- One stage at a time: You do not commit to the complete pathway at the outset.
- Written approval: No additional stage or module begins without written agreement.
- No dormant-file charges: There is no recurring fee merely because a matter is awaiting a Registry response, third-party information or a counterparty reply.
- Defined scope: Materially separate issues or substantial additional documents are priced before they are reviewed.
- No open-ended hourly billing: Work within the published pathway is priced by agreed output and stage.
- Direct Client Stage 01 Credit: The £400 plus VAT Stage 01 fee is credited once against the first qualifying Human Law execution stage instructed by the same client concerning the same matter within 14 days.
- Professional File Review Credit: £400 plus VAT of the £850 plus VAT review fee is credited once against the first qualifying execution stage instructed by the same practice concerning the same matter within 30 days.
- Qualifying execution stage: A qualifying execution stage is an agreed substantive milestone within Caveat Resolution or Estate Dispute and Deadlock Support. Credits apply once, cannot be combined or transferred, and do not apply to document or correspondence modules, disbursements, third-party costs, the Structural Clarity Report™ or litigation handover work.
Practice Boundaries
Human Law provides solicitor-led advice and defined non-court support for stalled probate administrations. We do not conduct court litigation, act on the court record, accept formal service, undertake routine estate administration or conveyancing, or conduct detailed forensic bank investigations.
If proceedings become necessary, Human Law can organise the relevant documents, chronology and preliminary analysis for an orderly handover to an appropriate litigation practice.
Start with the Appropriate Review
Begin with the Stage 01 Factual Audit and Action Plan.
BOOK STAGE 01 — £400 + VAT →Begin with a Professional File Review.
BOOK A PROFESSIONAL FILE REVIEW — £850 + VAT →
Alternatively, use the free Deadlock Scan to check whether the matter appears to fall within Human Law’s scope.
RUN THE FREE DEADLOCK SCAN →
Led by Justin Patten, Solicitor (SRA No. 657838), with More Than 20 Years’ Experience
Published author with Law Brief Publishing and Human Law Publishing.
Other titles include: A Practical Guide to Elderly Law (2nd Edition) & A Practical Guide to Elderly Fraud.