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When a person dies, the judicial process that verifies the last will and testament of the deceased is called probate. The will is proved in a probate court and probate is granted to the executor.
However, it is important to note that during and after the probate process, the validity of a will may be contested. In our capacity as professional executors we are entirely independent and this means that, if for any reason a dispute arises during the administration of your estate, we will always act in the best interests of the estate.
Probate can be required in order for the executor to administer the estate of a deceased person. This includes resolving any claims and distributing the assets of the deceased as specified in their will.
A probate solicitor, in addition to having the right skills to helping clients through a difficult time, has to have significant knowledge of both inheritance law and tax law and the implications of them on a person's will, to assist the executor effectively in potentially complex matters relating to the administering of the estate.
Appointing Alexander & Co as your will solicitors or executor will give that support, and the certainty that the estate will be administered professionally and efficiently by experienced solicitors.
Our experienced team can help with the administration of a deceased person's estate.
We are one of very few firms to hold the Law Society's Wills and Inheritance Quality accreditation and can deal with all aspects of this process including:
Our probate solicitor in our office in Derby is Tim Dysterre-Clark who has over 10 years' experience of guiding clients through probate and administering estates.
Tim is assisted by Solicitor and Trust & Estate Practitioner Sarah Nash and our Wills and Probate Executive, Andrea Gilman, each of whom have over 20 years' experience in this area of law.
You can contact Tim, Sarah and Andrea by emailing enquiries@AandCo.co.uk.
Alternatively, please use the "Contact us" page.
We are one of very few will solicitors nationally to hold the Law Society's Wills and Inheritance Quality (WIQS) accreditation.
We follow the best practice procedures to meet the highest standards of technical expertise and client service in providing tailored wills and probate advice to consumers.
Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets
We anticipate this will take between 7 - 100 hours of work at the hourly rate of the member of staff involved (£125.00 - £240.00 per hour). Total costs are estimated at £1,500.00 - £20,000.00 (plus VAT and disbursements), depending on the amount of work involved.
The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end. We will handle the full process for you.
This quote is for estates where:
Disbursements excluded from this fee:
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees.
We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. VAT may be payable on certain disbursements.
Potential additional costs:
How long will this take?
On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6-12 months. Typically, obtaining the of probate might take around 3 – 6 months.
Collecting assets then follows, which might take a further 3 months. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes up to around 3 months.
We can help you through this difficult process by obtaining the of Probate on your behalf.
How much does this service cost?
Total: Fixed fee of £950.00 (plus VAT)
This includes: obtaining the grant only and is conditional on there being no inheritance tax to pay and that the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC;
Breakdown of costs:
|
Legal fees |
£950.00 |
|
VAT on legal fees |
£190.00 |
|
Disbursements |
£282.00 in total |
Disbursements comprise:
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees.
We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. VAT may be payable on certain disbursements.
As part of our fixed fee we will:
On average, probate applications that fall within this range are dealt with by us within 2 - 4 weeks.
Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes around 2 - 4 weeks after we take your initial instructions.
