HUMAN LAW
Justin Patten · Solicitor · SRA No. 657838
STAGE 01
ILLUSTRATIVE ACTION PLAN
Sample only. Fictional facts, allowances and follow-on fee. This is not advice on an actual estate or a quotation.
Dispute Assessment & Action Plan
An executor who cannot obtain a co-executor’s response
1. Principal blockage
Your immediate objective is to progress the probate application. The principal issue is establishing who will take responsibility for obtaining the Grant. The will names two executors, but three requests for your co-executor’s participation have received no substantive response. Their intentions remain unclear; resolving every family disagreement is not necessary to address that question.
2. Evidence and gaps
Reviewed for this example: the will, selected correspondence, your administration summary, property valuation and expenditure schedule, and the information discussed during the consultation.
| Supported by the selected material | Still requires clarification |
|---|---|
| The will names you and your sibling as executors. | Their intentions, previous involvement and available options. |
| Three requests have received no substantive response. | Receipt of the requests and reasons for silence. |
| Your instructions are that no Grant has issued. | The current application position before formal action. |
| The unoccupied property has continuing expenses. | Which costs would continue even after progress resumes. |
Silence alone does not prove misconduct or establish a case for removal. Further evidence may change this assessment. This is a review of selected material, not verification of the entire administration or a financial audit.
3. Recommended approach
Obtain a clear statement of your co-executor’s intentions before choosing a formal procedure. Move from general reminders to one focused request for a decision. I would not presently recommend wider litigation on the documents reviewed.
Risks and immediate priorities: further delay may increase expenditure; an unsuitable procedural step may add cost. Keep insurance and security under review, preserve records and flag formal papers or urgent developments promptly. The report does not discharge your responsibilities or automatically protect you from liability.
Financial context: your illustrative schedule records £920 monthly expenditure: insurance £140; utilities, security and maintenance £180; council tax £220; mortgage interest £380. Three months at that rate is £2,760. These figures are not audited; some expenses may continue regardless and are not automatically recoverable from your co-executor.
Illustrative sample · Human Law · Page 1 of 2
HUMAN LAW
Your recommended route and financial commitment
STAGE 01
SAMPLE CONTINUED
4. Pathway and costs
Recommended route: a focused written request, assessment of the response or continued silence, and advice on whether administration can resume or a different route is needed. You can make the request yourself using this plan, without another Human Law fee, or commission the defined package below.
Illustrative overall fixed fee for the package: £1,380 including VAT (£1,150 + VAT). This covers the defined intervention below, not the entire estate administration or every possible later dispute step.
| Included work | Allowance and endpoint |
|---|---|
| Focused opening letter | One letter addressing intentions, the decision needed and a proposed response date. |
| Reasonable follow-up and response review | One reminder if needed; review of the first substantive response, up to 20 selected new pages; one 30-minute consultation. |
| Closing recommendations | Written advice after the response, or continued silence following the reminder, identifying the next decision and any proposed further work. |
The engagement confirms dates and the completion point. The fee covers completion of these deliverables even if they take longer than expected. It takes account of the Stage 01 analysis already completed. The reminder within this allowance attracts no extra fee.
| Your professional-fee commitment | Including VAT |
|---|---|
| Stage 01 already paid: £400 + VAT | £480 |
| Additional fee for the defined package: £1,150 + VAT | £1,380 |
| Cumulative total through package completion | £1,860 |
The review fee is standalone and is not credited. This example assumes the additional package fee is paid before work starts. A staged payment schedule may instead be agreed in writing. No external costs are anticipated for this correspondence package; none are incurred without approval.
If circumstances change: cooperation may allow administration to resume without more dispute work. An objection may require further evidence or negotiation. Continued silence may justify assessment of an agreed Registry procedure. Applications, service, hearings, settlement drafting and new issues are outside this package.
A reliable total for those later routes cannot yet be given: the executor’s position, available procedure and scope remain unconfirmed. Any further proposal will state a fixed price where practicable, external costs and the revised cumulative budget. Alternative routes are not automatically added together or authorised.
Your decision: use the plan independently or request a formal package quotation. Justin undertakes any instructed work and reviews the route at the response or silence decision point. £1,860 fixes the professional fees through this package, not through every possible later step. Cooperation, settlement and costs recovery cannot be guaranteed.
Illustrative sample · Justin Patten, Solicitor · SRA No. 657838 · Page 2 of 2