Pricing Policy

PRICING INFORMATION

As of 6 December 2018, new SRA rules require us to provide a range of prices in relation to a certain number of our services.

TYPICAL LEGAL COSTS

There are two main elements to the legal costs relating to work undertaken by any of our departments:

• our charges; and
• expenses we must pay out on your behalf.

For more information on our prices and the services we offer, please see the following links:

[EMPLOYMENT]

[IMMIGRATION]

[UNCONTESTED PROBATE]

[RESIDENTIAL CONVEYANCING]

[DEBT RECOVERY]

Please note that prices included in the links above are, where applicable, subject to VAT at the prevailing rate (currently 20%).

EMPLOYMENT – UNFAIR OR WRONGFUL DISMISSAL CLAIMS

TYPICAL LEGAL COSTS

• There are two main elements to the legal costs of dealing with employment tribunal applications on your behalf (whether you are bringing a claim unfair or wrongful dismissal or are the defendant to such a claim):
  • our charges; and
  • expenses we must pay out on your behalf.

OUR CHARGES

• Based on our general experience of bringing and/or defending claims for unfair and/or wrongful dismissals through to a full hearing, our charges will usually be:
  • simple case £7,500 – £14,000 (excluding VAT);
  • medium complexity case £14,000 – £18,000 (excluding VAT).
  • high complexity case £18,000 – £25,000 + (excluding VAT).
• VAT will be added to our bill where applicable at the prevailing rate which is currently 20%.
• The exact cost and number of hours it will take depends on the circumstances of your case. Factors that could make a case more complex include:
  • whether it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim;
  • defending claims against a litigant in person;
  • making or defending a costs application;
  • the number of witnesses and documents required to resolve the case;
  • whether we need to attend any hearings in addition to the barrister presenting the case;
  • whether there are any linked discrimination allegations, protected disclosures or other connected claims.
• We generally estimate a claim for unfair or wrongful dismissal will involve an employment tribunal hearing of 1-3 days depending on the complexity of the case. If additional days are required, our charges would usually be correspondingly higher.

COSTS AND EXPENSES

• We will instruct a barrister (referred to as ‘counsel’) to present your case at all hearings in the employment tribunal (unless suitable alternative arrangements are made and appropriate costs agreed). Counsel’s brief fee is usually between £1,500 to £2,500, but it can be higher depending on experience of the advocate needed in light of the complexity of the case. The brief fee includes counsel’s time for case preparation and time engage on the first day of any employment tribunal hearing. Thereafter, a ‘refresher’ fee is charged by counsel for each additional day of any hearing, usually at the lower rate of £750 – £1,500 per day. These charges are exclusive of any applicable VAT. If you require solicitor attendance as well as counsel at a hearing, then our solicitor time will be an additional cost based on a day rate between £1,750 – £2,900 plus VAT.
• We may incur certain other expenses on your behalf which we will also add to your bill. The amount of expenses can vary. Usually our direct costs, as solicitors working on your case, will be limited to our travel costs only (exclusive of any applicable VAT), for example where we need to travel to take witness statements or be in attendance at a hearing. There are normally no court fees for claims in the employment tribunal. The standard rules on recoverable costs in the employment tribunal mean that you will usually remain liable for all the charges, costs and expenses incurred on your case. This is usually so whether or not a claim is successful.
• If there are any other anticipated disbursements eg interpreters and/or medical experts or other expert fees, these will be discussed with you at the outset of the case. These fees vary depending on the language and number of documents or other expert evidence involved. You may choose to use a friend or other third party of your choice as an interpreter. We will provide an accurate figure once we have seen the relevant documentation for the application.
• If we, as your solicitors, spend additional time on settlement negotiations, which often run alongside the case preparation outlined above, then the time engaged for this will usually be charged separately at agreed hourly rates ranging from £290 – £525 plus VAT depending on the seniority of the solicitor engaged.
• The fee estimates set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:
  • 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 where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached;
  • preparing the claim or response;
  • reviewing and advising on the claim or response from other party;
  • exploring a settlement and negotiating a settlement throughout the process;
  • preparing or considering a schedule of loss;
  • preparing for and instructing Counsel to attend any Preliminary Hearing or Case Management Discussions;
  • exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents;
  • taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses;
  • preparing the bundle of documents;
  • reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements;
  • agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list;
  • preparing for and instructing Counsel to attend the full hearing or any remedy hearing.
• The stages set out above are provided as an indication only and, if some stages 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 also be arranged on your individual needs.
• Please note that the estimates above specifically does not include:
  • work undertaken in relation to any appeal if you are not successful in your claim;
  • specific advice relating to data subject access requests;
  • Injunctive relief;
  • Tax advice.

LIKELY TIMESCALE AND KEY STAGES

• The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take two to three weeks to resolve. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take between 20-52 weeks as this will very much depend on the timetable of the employment tribunal. This is just an estimate, and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.

OUR EXPERTISE

• Our team has over 75 years of collective experience in delivering high-quality work in relation to employment matters. For details of the members of the team who may work on your matter, please see the employment pages on our website. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised works on your matter, they will be supervised by one of the partners in our employment team.

  KEY CONTACTS

  Brian Gegg

  IMMIGRATION – TYPICAL LEGAL COSTS

  There are two main elements to the legal costs of dealing with immigration applications:

  • our charges; and
  • expenses we must pay out on your behalf.

  OUR CHARGES

  Our charge for a typical immigration application will be calculated by reference to our hourly rates which range from

  £195 plus VAT for trainees to £525 plus VAT for partners. Our charges for a typical immigration application range from £500 – £15,000 plus VAT.

  The exact cost depends on the circumstances of your case. The above range of costs is based on the following factors:

  • this being a first-time application;
  • there being no dependents;
  • whether our advice and your responses and instructions have to be translated;
  • attendance at a Home Office interview not being necessary; and
  • this not being a fast tracked or premium application.

  Our charges do not include VAT, which we will add to your bill at the prevailing rate.

  The estimate of costs given above relates to applications for naturalisation, applications on behalf of European Economic Area (EEA) nationals and their family members and applications for student, work, tourism and business visas.

  EXPENSES

  We sometimes incur certain expenses your behalf which we will also add to your bill. The amount of expenses can vary and the following is an estimate only:

  • Application fee: from approximately £200 for certain applications to in excess of £10,000 for certain premium applications;
  • Immigration Health

  Surcharge: between £150 per year of leave for students and Tier 5 Youth Mobility applicants and £1,000 per year of leave for other applications.

  Should you instruct us to arrange the translation of documentation, we would first obtain an estimate from a translator. These fees vary depending on the language and number of documents involved and can on occasion be significantly more than the range given above.

  We will provide an accurate figure once we have seen the relevant documentation for the application.

  The range of our fees above includes the key stages of an immigration application:

  • taking instructions and giving initial advice on which is the most appropriate application to make;
  • giving advice on the relevant criteria and the effect of this in the particular circumstances of the application;
  • obtaining, receiving and advising on further evidence (eg medical records) and other relevant documents as well as taking statements from any witnesses;
  • preparing and submitting the application; and advising the client on timelines and the outcome of the application.

  ADDITIONAL COSTS

  Additional amounts may be payable for our charges and / or expenses if an unusually high number of supporting documents, dependents and / or witnesses are involved.

  The fee range given above specifically does not include:

  • attendance at a Home Office interview;
  • any Home Office fees for making the application as you pay this direct to the Home Office;
  • if your application is refused, advice and assistance in relation to an appeal

  LIKELY TIMESCALE AND KEY STAGES

  We cannot guarantee how long the Home Office will take to process your application. It could take anything from a week to up to a year, and in rare circumstances sometimes longer. You should read the current processing times available here: https://www.gov.uk/visa-processing-times.

  We will normally be able to submit a Tier 2 General switching application within

  two to three weeks of receiving instructions but we will let you know at the earliest opportunity if it is likely to take longer than this.

  All applications are likely to vary. We can give you a more accurate estimate once we have more information about the specific case.

  OUR EXPERTISE

  Our team has over 40 years of collective experience in delivering high quality work relating to immigration applications. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by one of the partners in our immigration team.

  KEY CONTACTS

  Tim Hayes , Alastair Collett

• There are two main elements to the legal costs of dealing with employment tribunal applications on your behalf (whether you are bringing a claim unfair or wrongful dismissal or are the defendant to such a claim):
  • our charges; and
  • expenses we must pay out on your behalf.

OUR CHARGES

• Our hourly rates for probate administration depend on the seniority of the fee earner carrying out the work and range from £180 per hour for a trainee to £525 per hour for a partner. Typically, the administration of an estate would be carried out by one of the solicitors in the department, under the supervision of a partner.
• It is very difficult at the outset of a probate to estimate how much time it will take to complete the administration of an estate, as this can depend on the particular circumstances of the case, and issues which may arise during the course of the administration process.
• The best guidance we can give is that our costs typically tend to fall in the range of 1-3% of the gross value of the estate. This is not to say that we charge on an ad valorum basis, but is simply an indication that the larger and more complex an estate is, the higher our fees are likely to be. Thus, the costs of administering an estate worth £1 million could be between £10-30,000 plus VAT, but once we have more information about the nature of the estate, we will be able to give you a better estimate.
• This estimate includes the key stages of the administration of an estate:
  • identifying the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries;
  • obtaining the relevant documents required to make a probate application;
  • completing the probate application and the relevant HMRC forms;
  • drafting the statement of truth for the executor;
  • making the probate application the executor’s behalf and sending him / her copies;
  • arranging payment of any inheritance tax due;
  • settling liabilities;
  • paying legacies;
  • tax compliance for the estate administration period;
  • preparing estate accounts;
  • obtaining all necessary tax clearances;
  • collecting and distributing all assets in the estate.
• The exact cost and number of hours it will take depends on the circumstances of your case. The above range of costs is based on the following factors:
  • there is a valid will
  • the estate does not include any overseas assets
  • there is no more than one property
  • there are no more than five bank / building society accounts
  • there are up to eight beneficiaries
  • there is no disputes between the beneficiaries on the division of assets
  • there is no inheritance tax (IHT) payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC; and
  • there are no claims made against the estate.
• If there is a valid will, no inheritance tax to pay and the estate does not include any shareholdings, our charges are likely to be at the lower end of this range.
• We reserve the right to increase the hourly rates if the work done is particularly complex or urgent, or the nature of your instructions require us to work outside normal office hours. On occasions when we have done this we have increased our rates by up to 20%, but if this happens, we will notify you in advance and agree an appropriate rate.
• We will review our hourly rates on a periodic basis. This is usually done annually at the end of our financial year. We will give you advance notice of any change to our hourly rates.
• If a partner of the firm is appointed as an executor, there is no additional charge.
• Our charges do not include VAT, which we will add to your bill at the prevailing rate.

OUR EXPERTISE

• Our team has over 250 years collective experience in delivering high-quality work in all matters relating to probate and estate administration. The team has particular expertise in estates with high value or complex assets, assets qualifying for agricultural or business property relief from inheritance tax, foreign assets and cross-border succession issues, and heritage property. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by one of the partners in our probate team.

KEY CONTACTS

Elizabeth Neale, Sheilagh Magee

RESIDENTIAL CONVEYANCING – SALE AND PURCHASE – TYPICAL LEGAL COSTS

There are two main elements to the legal costs of completing a sale and purchase:

• our charges; and
• expenses we must pay out of your behalf.

OUR CHARGES

We have a minimum fee of £1,500 (plus VAT and expenses) for either a sale or a purchase.

By way of example, for a freehold purchase of a £2 million property with a mortgage, the charges typically range from £4,000 – £7,000 (plus VAT and expenses).

For the same purchase price and using the same example as above of the £2 million property, our charges for a leasehold purchase will be from £4,750 – £7,500 (plus VAT and expenses).

Our hourly rates vary depending on who in the firm is involved in your matter. This can range from £120 (plus VAT) for a paralegal – £540 (plus VAT) for a partner.

Please note that these are our average charges, therefore please do get in touch with details of your own transaction so that we can provide you with a bespoke fee estimate.

The exact cost depends on the specific circumstances of your case. The above range of costs is based on the following factors:

• the title of the property is registered;
• the property is already built;
• dealing with leasehold enfranchisement situations that may arise;
• the transaction is concluded in a timely manner;
• all parties are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing information;
• the terms of any funding required to purchase the property is agreed;
• any potential defective titles which require remedying before completion;
• if this is a leasehold transaction, no lease extension or enfranchisement (buying a share in the freehold) is required. If you have any enfranchisement requirements, please contact us as we have a specialist team for this type of transaction;
• no indemnity policies are required.

EXPENSES

We would usually expect to incur certain expenses on your behalf which we will also add to your bill. The amount of expenses can vary and the following is an estimate only:

Expense	Estimated Amount	VAT chargeable
HM Land Registry fee	£40 – £910	No
Search fees	£500 – £750	Yes
Electronic money transfer fee	£30	Yes

STAMP DUTY LAND TAX (SDLT)

This will be payable in addition to the expenses above and depends on the value of the property. There are many permutations in calculating the duty payable based on each individual circumstance. To use the aforementioned example of a freehold purchase of a £2 million property with a mortgage, it being the main and principle residence and no other test needing to be applied, the duty payable would be £153,750. If other property is owned worldwide, the 3% uplift may apply depending on the specific circumstance and, if this were to be the case, the duty payable would be £213,750.

You can calculate the amount payable using the online calculator on HMRC’s website – https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax/#/intro.

HMRC guidance frelating to SDLT for properties in England is available here – https://www.gov.uk/topic/business-tax/stamp-taxes. There are different rules for a corporate body purchasing residential property for more than £500,000 – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/stamp-duty-land-tax-corporate-bodies.

If the property is located in Wales, additional guidance from the Welsh Revenue Authority is available here – https://beta.gov.wales/welsh-revenue-authority.

Please note that the above links are for guidance only and you should take specific advice form a tax specialist. Such advice would fall outside the scope of our acting on your purchase but we do have specialists who could advise in this respect, if required.

On leasehold property purchases, you should also be aware the ground rent and service charge are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. We will confirm the ground rent and anticipated service charge as soon as we receive this information. We will provide an accurate figure once we have seen the relevant documentation for the property.

ESTIMATED TOTAL LEGAL COSTS

The above fee cost ranges includes the key stages of a property purchase:

• implementing the legally required anti-money laundering checks;
• taking instructions and giving initial advice;
• checking finances are in place to fund the purchase;
• receiving and advising on contract documents;
• carrying out searches and making any necessary enquiries of the seller’s solicitor;
• giving advice on the documents and information received;
• reviewing the conditions of any mortgage offer;
• sending final contract for signature;
• preparing the Transfer and advising on joint ownership;
• obtaining pre-completion searches;
• agreeing completion date;
• exchanging contracts and notifying when this has happened;
• arranging for all monies needed to be received from any lender and you;
• completing purchase; and
• dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax and application for registration at Land Registry.

They specifically do not include (please note that this list is not exhaustive):

• the cost of obtaining any title indemnity policy required;
• providing tax advice other than in relation to the calculation of the SDLT liability;
• advising on and arranging any lease extension or enfranchisement.

LIKELY TIMESCALE AND KEY STAGES

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until completion of the purchase will depend on a number of factors. On occasions where the matter is urgent, this can sometimes be completed within a day or two. The timescale may vary depending on the parties in the chain; sometimes it can take several months, however the average process takes between six to eight weeks.

If any complications of any nature arise the matter may take longer. We will advise you if and when this occurs.

OUR EXPERTISE

Our team has over 40 years of collective experience in delivering high quality work relating to the sale and purchase of residential property. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by one of the partners in our residential property team. For more details of the members of the team who may work on your matter, please see the residential property page on our website.

KEY CONTACTS

Hema Anand

DEBT RECOVERY – YOUR LEGAL COSTS EXPLAINED

There are two main elements to the legal costs of recovering debts for you:

• our charges; and
• expenses we must pay out on your behalf.

OUR CHARGES

Our hourly rates for debt recovery will depend on the seniority of the lawyer carrying out the work, which range from £150 per hour for a debt recovery executive up to £525 per hour for a partner based in our London office. Typically, undefended debt collection matters will be carried out by one of the debt recovery executives under the supervision of a partner.

The number of hours it will take will depend on the circumstances of your case. In particular, the size and complexity of the debt, whether the debtor is based in England and Wales, whether the debt is disputed and whether it becomes necessary to commence enforcement proceedings following judgment.

We reserve the right to increase the hourly rates if the work done is particularly complex or urgent or the nature of your instructions require us to work outside normal office hours. If this happens, we will notify you in advance and agree an appropriate rate.

As an alternative to hourly rates, we may be able to offer to undertake work before the commencement of legal proceedings based on a percentage of realisations. The percentage will depend on the value, size and complexity of the debts but the percentage is likely to be in the range of 10% to 25% plus VAT, subject to a minimum fee of £150 plus VAT.

Our charges do not include VAT, which we will add to your bill at the prevailing rate.

EXPENSES

We would usually expect to incur certain expenses on your behalf which we will add to your bill. For example, court fees and High Court Enforcement Officer’s fees. The amount of these fees depend on the size of the debt. There is a sliding scale for court fees ranging from £35 to issue the smallest claims up to £10,000 for the largest claims.

We may instruct a barrister (otherwise known as Counsel) on your behalf if the proceedings become disputed. Counsel’s brief fee for a trial can vary between £1,500 for the smallest claim up to tens of thousands of pounds for the largest claim. It will vary according to the experience of the barrister needed and the complexity of the case. The brief fee includes Counsel’s time for case preparation and time engagement on the first day of any hearing. Thereafter a ‘refresher’ fee is charged by Counsel for each additional day of any hearing, usually at between about £1,000 and £5,000 per day. These charges are exclusive of any applicable VAT. If you require solicitor attendance as well as Counsel at a hearing then our solicitor time will be based on an additional cost on a day rate between £1,750 and £3,000 plus VAT.

ESTIMATED TOTAL LEGAL COSTS

It is very difficult at the outset to predict the total cost to recover a debt. This will depend upon how much time it will take to complete and this can depend on the particular circumstances of the case and issues which may arise during the course of the debt recovery process. For example, whether the case is disputed and whether enforcement action is needed. The best guide we can give you is that our costs tend to fall in the range of £150 plus VAT for a very modest, undisputed debt recovered without the need for legal proceedings to tens of thousands of pounds for a larger, disputed debt proceeding to trial.

LIKELY TIMESCALE AND KEY STAGES

The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved. If settlement is reached following a Letter Before Action before proceedings are commenced, it is likely to take two to four weeks to resolve. At the other end of the spectrum, if the claim is disputed, proceedings become necessary and it proceeds to a trial, your case is likely to take between nine months and 18 months to obtain judgment as this will very much depend on the timetable of the Court. If enforcement action is necessary, it may take a further six months. This is just an estimate and we would be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.

OUR EXPERTISE

For details of the members of the team who may work on your matter, please see the relevant pages on our website. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by one of the partners in our litigation team.

KEY CONTACT

Rick Munro