Because every case and transaction is different, we highly recommend that you contact a member of our experienced legal team for a full, detailed breakdown of fees related to your exact requirements. You will find direct contact details for our specialists alongside each practice and work areas throughout this website.

VAT is charged at the prevailing rate (currently 20%).

Click to view pricing information for each of the following service areas:

Litigation
Employment
Licensing
Probate
Residential Conveyancing
Photocopying, scanning and faxing
Electronic Identification

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Litigation

Click or tap the following links to learn more about our Litigation services for business and Litigation services for you.

As required by the regulator, we are pleased to present our charges for Debt Recovery up to £100,000. We are happy to provide bespoke fee estimates for debts exceeding this amount.

We charge according to the time spent and at our hourly rate which ranges from £350 plus VAT for a partner to £180 plus VAT for a newly qualified solicitor or £160 plus VAT for a paralegal. The total charge will depend on such factors as to whether the debt is straightforward (for example, an unpaid invoice for goods supplied); whether the debt is disputed or a claim is issued in the Court. As things move forward, we will explain the issues relevant to your matter and keep you up to date on progress and cost.

If the work involves working unsocial hours, requires special or urgent attention, specialist expertise or is affected by any similar factors, we may add an appropriate mark up to our normal hourly rates. However, we will not apply a mark-up unless we have agreed it with our client first.

Sometimes we incur expenses relating to our client’s work, which we need to charge back. These are known as disbursements and do not form part of our fees, although it remains the responsibility of our client to pay them. VAT may or may not be charged on disbursements, depending on their nature. We may also have to pay other fees on our client’s behalf which we charge back.

Our average charge for a straightforward claim where the debtor pays before a claim is issued in the Court is £300 plus VAT. Where a claim is issued, our average charge is £1200 plus VAT. Other factors may affect our charges but we always agree any variation with clients.

Key Stages of Debt Recovery

• We take full instructions and give initial advice on the process (we do not advise on the merits of the claim but can refer you to our Litigation department if this advice is required)
• We prepare and send a letter of claim.
• If the claim is paid, we receive payment and send the payment on to you.
• If the claim is not paid, we draft and issue the Claim.
• If no acknowledgement of service is received, we apply to Court for Judgment in default and when Judgment is received, we write to the debtor to request payment.
• If the debtor disputes the claim or responds to the letter of claim, we will discuss any additional work and provide a revised estimate of costs.
• If Judgment is received but payment is not received within 14 days, we will discuss any further work to enforce the Judgment.

How long will it take?

This depends on whether or not the debtor is an individual, whether the debtor responds to the initial letter, whether it is necessary to issue a Claim and whether enforcement action is necessary. If the debtor is an individual or sole trader, it could take 1-6 months from receipt of your instructions to payment; otherwise it could take between 1-3 months – in both cases the matter will take longer if enforcement action is needed.

Our team is supervised by Matthew Fletcher, Partner and Head of Department. For further details of the team members providing these services please click or tap here.

We look forward to receiveing your enquiry. We will then be able to provide a detailed estimate including costs, disbursements, VAT rates, timescales, and key stages

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Employment

Click or tap the following links to learn more about our employment law services for business and our employment services for you.

As required by the regulator, we are pleased to present our charges for employment tribunal claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal, based on the following:

• Costs are almost always irrecoverable in Employment Tribunals even if you win. This sets Employment Tribunals apart from many other areas of law where if you are successful you can recover all or at least some of your costs from your opponent.
• Our charges are based upon an hourly rate rather than fixed fees because there can be a very big difference between the costs involved in a straightforward matter and the costs involved in a drawn out, complicated case.
• We do not provide tax or pension advice but can refer to you an expert.
• Our charges are the same for individual clients or commercial clients, which is to say that there is no difference in what we charge whether we are acting for the employer or the employee.

Unfair or wrongful dismissal claims are dealt with by all members of the department and the hourly charge out rates range from £325 plus VAT for a Partner to £300 plus VAT for an Associate, and £180 plus VAT for an Assistant Solicitor.

Sometimes we incur expenses relating to the case which we need to charge back to clients. These are known as “disbursements“ and do not form part of our fees although it remains the responsibility of the client to pay them. VAT may or may not be charged on disbursements, depending on their nature. The most common disbursement is the cost of a barrister known as counsel’s fees. Whilst all of the department undertake advocacy it is often more cost effective to instruct a barrister depending upon the length of the hearing and whereabouts in the country it is. Over and above that there are sometimes costs for medical reports in cases involving disability, or for a pension loss report. Occasionally other types of disbursement can be necessary such as the costs of an expert IT report or even commissioning a handwriting expert on occasions where forgery is alleged.

Each case is different and the total charge depends on the complexity and many factors including whether there are allegations of discrimination or whistleblowing linked to the claim; the number of witnesses and documents; whether the other side is legally represented and whether there are other related applications to the tribunal.

Our average cost for what could be classified as a ‘simple’ claim with a hearing which lasts 1-2 days is £12,000 to £14,400. There will be additional fees for disbursements; in particular, counsel’s fees can be substantial depending on the complexity of the claim and the number of hearings. However, most cases are settled before the final hearing takes place.

When we first take your instructions in a matter, we are able to provide a far better estimate as to what is going to be involved, how long it is going to take and how much it is going to cost.

Key Stages of a Tribunal Claim

• Taking initial instructions and give initial advice on the merits and likely compensation
• Exploring whether a settlement can be reached (and will continue to do so throughout the process)
• Entering to ACAS Early Conciliation process
• Preparing a claim or response
• Reviewing and advising on the claim or response from the other party
• Reviewing and advising on a Schedule of Loss
• Preparing for and attending a Preliminary Hearing to decide how the claim will be handled
• Agreeing a list of issues and documents with the other party
• Taking witness statements, drafting statements and preparing a hearing bundle of documents
• Instructing counsel (a barrister) if needed
• Preparing for and attending the final hearing and any separate hearing to decide compensation

There may be other stages depending on any additional applications, any additional parties or points of law. In some cases there is additional work to enforce any Tribunal Judgment or to deal with an Appeal.

How long will it take?

Generally the time taken to resolve a claim depends on the stage at which a settlement is reached – this could be as soon as 2-4 weeks if all parties agree. If the claim goes as far as a hearing then tribunals aim to conclude cases within 26 weeks of the claim being submitted but it could take far longer. We will be able to give a more tailored estimate when we have full details.

Our team is supervised by Ted Flanagan, Partner and Head of Department. For further details of the team members providing these services please click or tap here.

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Licensing

To learn more about our Licensing services, please click or tap here.

As required by the regulator, we are pleased to present our charges for Licensing Applications for Business Premises:

• Applications for a premises licence under s.17 Licensing Act 2003
• Applications to vary a premises licence under s.34 Licensing Act 2003

We will generally seek to agree a fixed fee with you. This will be dependent upon the type of application and its anticipated complexity.

We will take into account factors such as whether the application is likely to attract representations/objections, whether the premises falls within a cumulative impact area and our experiences with previous applications in the area. This fee normally falls within the range of £600 - £1500 plus VAT for a new licence and variation applications.

If a hearing is required and you require representation at that hearing by one of our solicitors then our fees for representation are normally between £1500 and £2250 plus VAT depending on the number and type of representations faced.

For applications/advice where we are unable to estimate a fixed fee, we will charge on the basis time spent at our hourly charging rate. Licensing applications are conducted by partners who charge from £275 to £400 plus VAT depending on experience. We will agree the rate with you at the start of the matter, give an estimate of total costs and provide regular costs updates as the matter progresses.

Sometimes we incur expenses relating to our client’s work, which we need to charge back. These are known as disbursements and do not form part of our fees, although it remains the responsibility of our client to pay them. VAT may or may not be charged on disbursements, depending on their nature. These expenses will include the application fees payable to the Licensing Authority, and the cost of advertising the application in the local newspaper.

Our average fee for an unopposed application for a new licence is £800 plus disbursements plus VAT. We can give you an estimate of the disbursements when we have details of the application required.

Our fees are subject to VAT at the prevailing rate (currently 20%).

Key stages of an application relating to premises licences

• Taking your instructions and advising on local policy, hours and conditions
• Advising you on the statutory plans requirements
• Completing and submitting the application to the licensing authority
• Serving copies of the application on the responsible authorities
• Drafting and providing the notices for display on the premises
• Drafting and arranging the advertisement in the local newspaper
• Negotiating on your behalf with the Responsible Authorities (Police, Licensing Authority, Environmental Health, Trading Standards etc) if representations/objections are submitted/pending
• Checking the licences when granted

How long will it take?

This will depend on the complexity of the application, the availability of plans and whether any objections are received. In straightforward cases, in England and Wales, applications usually take 6-10 weeks.

Our team is supervised by Richard Taylor, Partner and Head of Department. For further details of the team members providing these services please click or tap here.

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Probate

To learn more about our Probate and Estate Administration services, please click or tap here.

As required by the regulator, we are pleased to present our charges for probate and estate administration services.

We offer a wide range of probate services starting with a fixed fee Grant only application where we obtain a Grant of Probate based on information provided by you and settle any Inheritance Tax liability. The price of this service ranges from £1,500 plus VAT to £2,500 plus VAT depending on the Inheritance Tax forms required. A court fee of £273 plus £1.50 per additional copy document is payable with each application.

Our estate administration service, charged in addition to the above includes assistance with the collection and distribution of money, property and assets. This is charged according to the some spent and at our hourly rate ranging from a partner at £300 plus VAT per hour, with less complex administrative matters being dealt with by a more junior fee earner at between £160 and £230 plus VAT per hour.

Each estate is different and the time taken can depend on whether there is a valid Will which is not contested, the nature and volume of assets and whether the estate is taxable. Our average price where there is a valid Will, no more than 2 executors, bank accounts and a property is £4,000 to £6,000.

We also provide a service if a Will or estate is contested, again charged at hourly rates in addition to the above.

The above prices do not include:

• Valuations of assets
• Conveyancing of Estate Properties 1
• Financial Advice 2
• Deeds of Variation

1 A quote can be provided by our Conveyancing department
2 Quotes can be obtained from third parties for these services. For further information or to request an appointment please contact us.

Key Stages of Probate

Details of all assets and liabilities need to be collated before any Inheritance Tax is calculated and paid. HMRC provide a receipt for the tax paid to the Court.The application for a Grant is submitted to the Court but will not be processed until HMRC has issued a receipt. After the Grant is issued, the personal representatives have the power to deal with the deceased’s assets (i.e. those in England and Wales).

How long will it take?

This will depend both on the processing times of HMRC and the Court and the nature and complexity of the estate. We would expect HMRC to take 6 to 8 weeks to issue a tax receipt to the Court and then 16 weeks for the Court to issue the Grant.

In simple cases, we would expect the majority of work involved in administering the estate and the distribution of assets will be completed within the following 6 months.

Our team is supervised by Paul Mounce, Partner and Head of Department. For further details of the team members providing these services please click or tap here.

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Residential Conveyancing

To learn more about our Residential Conveyancing services, please click or tap here.

As required by the regulator, we are pleased to present our charges for acting on purchases, sales, mortgages and re-mortgages. Our fees are all fixed fees.

They start from £800.00. plus VAT on a sale; £850.00 plus VAT on a purchase and £650.00 plus VAT for a re-mortgage.

Fees will vary depending on the nature of the transaction and the following may increase the fee payable:

1. The value of the Property
2. If the Property is leasehold
3. If the Property is a New Build
4. You are purchasing in a company name

The above is not an exhaustive list and there may be other factors that affect the fee payable. We will advise you at the outset of the factors which apply to your circumstances.

• Our fixed fees cover all the work required to complete the transaction including dealing with any payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) or Land Transaction Tax (LTT) if the property is in Wales and registering your ownership at the Land Registry. We do not give specialist tax advice.
• There will also be costs payable to third parties (sometimes known as ‘disbursements’).e.g. copies of the title register, search fees; registration fees; SDLT and indemnity insurance premiums. The average of these costs will be:On a freehold sale will be £81.00 inclusive of VAT. This includes a copy of the title, register bank transfer fee, copying and postage charges and electronic identification fees.
• On a freehold purchase are £299.00 inclusive of VAT. This excludes SDLT/LTT. This includes a full search pack (local authority search, water & drainage search and environmental search), chancel liability indemnity insurance, land registry searches, , bank transfer fee, copying and postage charges and electronic identification fees.

In addition there will be a further disbursement for the land registration fee which varies according to the value of the property. The average disbursement figure above is based on a fee of £150.00 which is payable for a property valued between £200,001 and £500,000.

• There are likely to be additional disbursements for leasehold properties:
• When selling a leasehold property, you may need to pay for a ‘management pack’ from the landlord or management company: you can ask them what the cost will be. (The average is around £350).
• When buying a leasehold property, the lease may set out notice fees for giving the landlord or management company formal notice of your purchase and mortgage; deed of covenant fees and a fee for providing a certificate of compliance required by the Land Registry, (The average for each item is around £50 - £100 each).

We will be able to give you an accurate figure when we have reviewed the lease. Ground rent and service charges are likely to be payable throughout your ownership of a leasehold property. We will confirm the ground rent and the anticipated service charge as soon as we receive this information from the seller’s solicitor.

Stamp Duty (SDLT in England; LTT in Wales) depends on the purchase price of your property and varies depending on numerous factors, including:

• If you are a first-time buyer
• If you are purchasing a second property
• If you are purchasing in a company name

There is a calculator on HMRC’s website to show the amount of SDLT payable. For properties in Wales, the amount of LTT depends on similar factors and can be calculated by using the Welsh Revenue Authority's website.

To give you an accurate indication of the stamp duty payable we would need to assess all of the facts relating to the purchase of the Property.

Our average fees for a leasehold property valued at £250,000 are:

• sale: £1,450.00 (excluding VAT) plus third party costs of £50.40; plus cost of management pack
• purchase: £1,600.00 (excluding VAT) plus third party costs of £257.33; plus SDLT (see HMRC calculator); plus fees payable under the lease (see above)

Our average fees for a freehold property valued at £500,000 are:

• sale: £1095.00 (excluding VAT) plus third party costs of £43.20; plus cost of management pack
• purchase: £1350.00 (excluding VAT) plus third party costs of £257.33; plus SDLT (see HMRC calculator); plus fees payable under the lease (see above)

Our average fees for a re-mortgage are:

• freehold: £725.00 (excluding VAT) plus third party costs of £105.93
• leasehold: £750.00 (excluding VAT) plus third party costs of £117.73; plus fees payable under the lease (see above).

For the avoidance of doubt the above fees quoted do not include estate agency fees, surveyors fees and other services carried out by third parties.

Our team is supervised by Julia Madden, Partner and Head of Department. For further details of the team members providing these services please click or tap here.

Key Stages of a sale and purchase

Each transaction is different: the parties, the property, the price etc. The below stages in a ‘typical’ sale/purchase below are for guidance only - they can happen in a different order:

Sale	Purchase
Seller’s solicitor takes instructions and does ID check	Buyer’s solicitor takes instructions; gives initial and does ID check
Seller’s solicitor asks seller to complete questionnaires Leasehold – in addition, the seller will obtain a management pack form the landlord or management company.	Buyer arranges finance (and mortgage, if any)
Seller’s solicitor sends contract papers to Buyer’s solicitor [Leasehold – this will include the lease and management pack]	Buyer’s solicitor reviews contract papers and raises any enquiries
Seller responds to buyer’s enquiries and e.g. provides any planning information	Buyer’s solicitor submits searches including to the Local Authority
	Buyer’s solicitor reviews replies to enquiries to ensure information is complete
	Buyer’s solicitor advises the buyer on the legal title, results of searches and (if any) mortgage offer
Seller’s solicitor arranges signature of documents: including the contract and transfer deed Parties agree a moving date	Buyer’s solicitor arranges signature of documents: including the contract, transfer deed and (if any) mortgage deed [Leasehold: the documents may include a Deed of Covenant] Parties agree a moving date
Exchange contracts: this is the stage when parties are legally bound and the date by which the seller has to move out and hand over the keys is set	Exchange contracts: this is the stage when parties are legally bound; the buyer pays the deposit (usually 10% of the purchase price) and the date by which the buyer has to pay the balance and will get the keys is set
	Buyer’s solicitor gets ready for completion: submits searches to HM Land Registry and arranges for all the money and (if any) the mortgage advance to be sent to them
Completion: the money is transferred between solicitors; the seller moves out and hands the keys to the buyer; the seller receives the net proceeds (after payment of mortgage and fees)	Completion: the money is transferred between solicitors; the buyer receives the keys and can move in
	Buyer’s solicitor pays SDLT
	[Leasehold] – Buyer’s solicitor will send notice of transfer (and if any, mortgage) to landlord or management company and obtain a Certificate of Compliance if required
	Buyer’s solicitor registers ownership at HM Land Registry

How long will it take? The length of time between acceptance of an offer until the moving day will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 12-16 weeks (as at Jan 2023). It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are a first time buyer, purchasing a new build property with a mortgage in principle, it could take 4 weeks to exchange. However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between 2 and 3 months to exchange. In such, a situation additional charges would apply.

Key Stages of a re-mortgage

Each transaction is different: the parties, the property, the value, the loan etc. The below stages in a ‘typical’ re-mortgage below are for guidance only: they can happen in a different order:

Remortgage
Borrower’s solicitor takes instructions, sends questionnaire for completion by Borrower and does ID check
Borrower’s solicitor obtains redemption statement from existing lender and contacts existing and/or new lender’s solicitors if needed
Borrower’s solicitor submits searches relating to the property if required by lender or arranges indemnity insurance if searches are not required
Borrower’s solicitor reviews the legal title; obtains further planning documentation if needed and reports to the lender
Borrower’s solicitor reviews mortgage offer and arranges signature of documents
Borrower’s solicitor gets ready for completion: obtains any shortfall from the Borrower; submits searches to HM Land Registry and arranges for all the money and (if any) the mortgage advance to be sent to them
Completion: the existing mortgage is paid off; the new mortgage is drawn down and the borrower receives any surplus funds
[Leasehold] – Borrower’s solicitor will send notice of new mortgage to landlord or management company (if required)
Borrower’s solicitor registers change of lender at HM Land Registry

How long will it take? The length of time between instruction and completion of the re-mortgage will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 4 – 8 weeks (as at Jan 2023). It can be quicker or slower, depending on the mortgage application process and the new lender’s requirements.

To give a tailored quotation for your conveyancing services please call a member of the team on 01482 590290.

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Photocopying, scanning and faxing

To cover the cost of equipment, consumables and operators, all departments in the firm charge on a pay as you go basis for photocopying, scanning and faxing documents as follows:

Item Charge per page A4 page – b/w – copy, scan or fax – UK £0.25 A4 page – b/w – fax – Overseas £0.35 A3 page – b/w – copy, scan or fax £0.50 A4 page - colour £0.60 A3 page – colour £1.20

All prices above are subject to VAT.

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Electronic Identification

We will generally require evidence of identification for new clients and in order to comply with the Money Laundering Regulations, we may need to undertake a verify the identification with an external service (usually at £15 per person). We will let you know if this will be required.

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