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London-Based Probate Solicitors Working for You

If you need assistance with a legal will, probate affairs, or lasting power of attorney, get in touch with the team at Gillian Radford & Co in London. We’re expert probate solicitors, and this means that we can offer everything you need. To find out more about the reasons you should consider our experts, read on!

Will

Why Choose Our Services?

You never know what’s around the corner; an unexpected car accident or a stroke can happen to anyone and it makes sense to prepare for this. Having a Lasting Power of Attorney in place means that someone you know and trust can administer your affairs, if for some reason you are unable to do so yourself. If you are incapacitated, someone else can take over for you and make sure that basic transactions continue, including bills and more.

We’re experienced in will preparation and we can help you to design a document that ensures your wishes are carried out. A well-crafted will saves your loved ones many problems after you are gone. If you were to die intestate (without a will), it may mean that they have to pay significant legal fees just to receive what you wanted them to anyway.

Our team can also help with the financial affairs of someone who has died and help you carry out your duties as executor in relation to the administration of the estate. Probate can be a very complex and time-consuming process, and our experience can reduce the problems faced in reaching the endpoint.

Will

Probate Fee Information

We understand that the process of dealing with the legal issues that arise on the death of a loved one can be difficult and complex, especially at an already difficult time.

Our experienced probate solicitor at Gillian Radford & Co can assist you with all stages of the process. We offer a range of services from assistance with the application for the grant of probate only to our complete probate and estate administration service dealing with everything on your behalf.
If you ask us to deal with the full administration of an estate, we will obtain asset valuations, complete the inheritance tax return, pay any IHT due and deal with all correspondence with HMRC, make the application for the Grant of Probate, collect in the assets, pay any debts and expenses and distribute the estate to the beneficiaries.


Every Estate is different and we will always give you a personalised fee estimate in writing and will confirm the work that is covered by that estimate.

Request an estimate
We will always provide you with a personalised estimate of our costs to carry out the work you would like us to do before any costs are incurred. We need to understand the make-up of the estate and read the Will. We are happy to meet to discuss how we can help and can talk through all the options with you. As the matter progresses we can update you on costs whenever you wish.

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Professional Fees

Our fees do depend on the number of assets, if there is a property and how much work we have to do. Our fees could be between £3,000 for a straightforward matter and £12,000 or more if there are a lot of assets in the estate or the matter becomes complex.
Our Probate solicitor’s hourly fee rate is £250 + VAT per hour, but we can do some fixed fees such as just applying for Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration if you have a valuation of the estate and if you and will gather in the assets yourself. This fixed fee would be £750.00 + VAT.

The following factors may increase the cost of dealing with the administration of the estate:

  • Not having all of the paperwork available

  • Third parties not responding to our communications promptly

  • Where the deceased has retained benefit of an asset he or she has purported to give away in their lifetime

  • Where there have been significant gifts made or transfer of assets into trust which are required to be reported to HMRC

  • HMRC compliance enquiries

  • Dealing with assets or items of unusual or complex nature (for example: fine art; timeshares; shares in private companies)

  • Dealing with and advising on assets situated in foreign jurisdictions

  • Dealing with a large portfolio of certificated shareholding


If you think that you may have a complex issue or a particular asset that concerns you, we can discuss this with you and agree our costs for dealing with the issue. If complications arise after we start work we will always contact you straightaway to let you know what the problem is, what our proposed solution is and the likely costs of that. We won’t undertake that work until you have agreed the course of action and any additional fees.

Our Probate solicitor has a wealth of experience and is 10 years qualified.

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Potential Costs to third parties (disbursements)

We may need to pay costs to third parties on your behalf; these costs are known as disbursements and commonly include the following:


Potential Costs

  • probate registry fee £155

  • probate valuation of property (depends in type of property so cannot give estimate) + VAT

  • court fee estimate £170.00

  • If property is being transferred, there will be land registry fees (dependent on type of property)

  • bankruptcy searches £2 per search

  • HM Land Registry – Copy title deeds £3 for each property or title

  • Statutory notices in the Gazette and a Local Newspaper between £200 – £300. Notices may protect executors from unexpected claims made against the estate

There may also be other payments to third parties on behalf of the estate in which case we will let you know in advance.


The costs of selling or transferring property in the estate are in addition to our fees as shown in the above estimates. We do not undertake conveyancing at this firm but we can put you in touch with a conveyancing solicitor who will provide you with an estimate for their work.

Need Any Assistance?

Our probate solicitors are here to help you with a range of issues, including legal wills.

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