OUR FEES …

We can offer you an initial telephone appointment which allows you to provide us with an overview of your situation; we can discuss your matter and take some details.  We will then be able to advise you more fully and provide a more personalised estimate of our fees.

Document Certification

As professionally qualified solicitors we are appointed by the Chief Justice as Commissioners for Oaths.  This means that we are authorised to verify affidavits, which are statements in writing and on oath, and to authenticate other legal documents such as statutory declarations. We are also able to verify ID and provide certified copies of original documents.

For these one-off services we charge a fee of £10 per signature required.

Please note, that payment is accepted in cash only.

This is an essential service which can only be provided in person. 

We are currently operating by pre-arranged appointment only – be reassured that we are normally still able to offer an appointment on the day to suit you.  Please contact us by telephone or email to arrange this.

Wills

If you have not already done so, the best time to make a will is now!  Life is fragile and we never know what is in store for us.  Making a will enables you to make the gift of security and financial provision for your loved ones.  If you already have a will, we recommend you review it every few years, particularly when there is a specific change in your circumstances.

Our prices are based on our current hourly rates:

Partners: Julie Ferguson / Clare Barlow - £300 + VAT* per hour

Solicitor: Julia Wilson - £250 + VAT per hour

For a simple Will, we aim to agree a fixed fee with you during our initial discussion.  The price for a single simple Will starts from £350 + VAT and for a mirror pair £600 + VAT.

For more complex requirements, we would provide you with a written estimate of our costs, tailored to your needs, based on an assessment of time required to complete the will making process.

There are no additional disbursements.

We offer to store signed wills in our on-site secure fire safe.  This service is free of charge, as part of our ongoing commitment to you.

We are able to offer appointments immediately and can have your will drafted and ready for signing within a few days (or sooner, if needed urgently).

Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs)

By signing and registering an LPA you can appoint your chosen attorneys who will then be able to make decisions on your behalf if you are ever unable to do so in the future.  There are separate LPAs for Property and Financial Affairs and for Health and Welfare.

We aim to agree a fixed fee with you during our initial discussion.  Our prices are based on our current hourly rates:

Partners: Julie Ferguson / Clare Barlow - £300 + VAT per hour

Solicitor: Julia Wilson - £250 + VAT per hour

For a single LPA our typical price is £350 + VAT, for both LPAs we would charge £600 + VAT

For a couple who would each like both LPAs our fees are £950 + VAT

In addition there is a registration fee payable to the Office of the Public Guardian which is currently £82 for each LPA (although there are reductions for those on low income / specified benefits)

Where a client wishes to make both a will and LPAs at the same time, we will reduce our overall fee as appropriate given that the instructions for both can be taken during the same meeting.

Provided your attorneys are able to sign the LPAs quickly, we can have the documents ready to send to the Office of the Public Guardian within a few days.  There is then a 10-12 week waiting period for the registration process to be completed by the OPG (this includes a 4 week statutory notice period) and for the registered LPAs to be returned.

We offer to store registered LPAs in our on-site secure fire safe.  This service is free of charge, as part of our ongoing commitment to you.

Probate

When someone dies, the executors named in their will (or appointed administrators if they do not have a will) are responsible for administering the estate.  This is the process of securing and collecting their assets (money, property and belongings), paying any debts (including taxes where liable), keeping accounts and distributing the balance to the correct beneficiaries.  Depending on the type of assets a person owned, it may be necessary to apply for a Grant of Probate.  This is a legal document which confirms the authority of the executor / administrator to act.

We are able to guide you through the process.  We aim to work alongside executors, taking on as much of the administration as they require, to alleviate some of the pressures during what can be a difficult time.  In some cases we can offer to act in an advisory role only, where the executors wish to carry out the administration themselves.

Our prices are based on our current hourly rates:

Partners: Julie Ferguson / Clare Barlow - £300 + VAT per hour

Solicitor: Julia Wilson - £250 + VAT per hour

We charge simply for the time we spend on your matter.  We do not charge a percentage of the estate, although this is a common practice in many firms.

As you can imagine, it is not easy to provide a fixed price, given that every estate will be different.  We would ask you to provide us with an indication of the assets and liabilities involved.  This will enable us to provide you with a written estimate of our costs (almost always an estimate rather than a fixed quote since we cannot predict if a case might become more complicated due to factors beyond our, or your control).

For straightforward estates that we have administered recently (requiring application for a Grant of Probate but where there is no inheritance tax liability or family complications) we have charged between £1200 + VAT and £2500 + VAT

In addition, the application fee for a Grant of Probate is £273, fees for office copies of the Grant £1.50 each, search fees £2 + VAT each.

Further possible disbursements (ie. payments to third parties) might include: statutory advertisements (approx £300 + VAT, not always essential), Land Registry searches £3 + VAT each, signed-for postage and asset valuations.

We will create a schedule of assets and liabilities as soon as we receive your instructions.  In most cases we can collect all necessary information to apply for a Grant of Probate within a few weeks.  It would be typical to obtain a Grant of Probate within six months and to complete most of the administration within a year.  Simple estates should complete more quickly.  There will be exceptions where an estate is more complicated.  We will update the executors on likely time scales where there is reason for delay.

Losing a loved one can be an emotional time.  We aim to alleviate some of the pressure by supporting you through the administration process. If you would like to have a conversation with us about how we can best assist you, then please do give us a call on 01473 3355160 or drop us a line at: info@christchurchlaw.co.uk

* VAT is currently charged at 20%

Fee guidance for employment matters

Our prices are based on hourly rates:

Partners: Julie Ferguson / Clare Barlow (Partners) - £300 + VAT per hour

The hourly rates are multiplied by the amount of time spent in dealing with the matter.

Simple, non-contentious cases may range from £1,000 to £5,000 (excluding VAT and disbursements). As the complexity of the case increases, this estimate will parallel this. Accordingly, complex contentious cases may range from £10,000 to £20,000 (excluding VAT and disbursements). 

Personnel

One of the Partners at the firm, either Julie Ferguson or Clare Barlow, will be taking the lead and overseeing your employment matter. Alongside a highly experienced Partner, other staff members may be assisting in your matter to ensure all your needs are met. We have a very friendly and supportive team. Staff profiles can be found under the ‘People’ section of this website.

Contentious matters

Key stages of a contentious claim include:

* Taking your initial instructions; reviewing the papers and advising you on merits and likely compensation (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change);

* Entering into pre-claim conciliation when this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached;

* Preparing claim or response;

* Reviewing and advising on claim and response from other party;

* Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process;

* Preparing or considering a schedule of loss;

* Preparing for and attending a preliminary hearing;

* Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents;

* Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses;

* Preparing bundle of documents;

* Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements;

* Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or case list;

* Preparation and attendance at final hearing, including instructions to counsel if required.

The stages set out above are an indication and where some stages above are not required, the fee will be reduced. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can be arranged on an individual basis where advisable.

Our cost charges in tribunals may be affected by factors beyond our control, such as:

* If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim;

* Defendant claims that are brought by litigants in person;

* Making or defending a cost application;

* Complex preliminary issues such as whether the party is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties);

* The number of witnesses and documents;

* If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. if you are dismissed after blowing the whistle on your employer;

* Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal.

Cases which include discrimination claims, maternity or pregnancy related claims, holiday pay claims, TUPE, whistleblowing or other more complex claims in addition to ordinary unfair dismissal or wrongful dismissal (this is a breach of contract claim relating to the non-payment of notice monies) will be estimated individually, and are outside the scope of this fee guidance. 

Timescales

The cost of an employment matter may fluctuate depending on varying circumstances, these may include factors which were not anticipated at the outset of the matter, and whether the matter is contentious. We will provide you with an estimate of hours we consider it will take for us to process your case.  

For example, a bespoke contract of employment may take between 1-4 hours to draft or attendance at a disciplinary hearing to represent an employee may take between 5 -10 hours in preparation and attendance at the meeting. A more complex employment case may require ongoing work over a matter of weeks or even months if unexpected circumstances arise.

Timescales for contentious matters can vary greatly. Some claims never even reach tribunal, thus become much less costly than expected. If a settlement is reached, the matter may only take a few weeks to resolve. At other times, costs may unavoidably increase due to an unexpected change in the complexity of the matter.

Please bear in mind that a significant factor in the timescale of a contentious matter is the workload that the particular employment tribunal is facing at the time, this can lead to delays. However, once again, this is out of our control. 

We will keep you up to date with the costs incurred and inform you of any material change to the estimate as your matter progresses. You will be regularly invoiced with clear breakdowns of costs and a detailed summary of work for transparency. 

We understand that employment matters can be stressful, therefore, we will always endeavour to resolve your matter to a high standard as expeditiously as possible.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees and barristers’ fees and costs. 

These costs may be charged with current government VAT rates where necessary to comply with relevant VAT regulations. 

Any disbursement costs will be stated on invoices from us, with a breakdown of VAT and a clear indication of what each disbursement is for in line with our aim to keep you informed about all costing matters.