We are required by the Solicitors Regulation Authority our regulatory body to publish information on our fees for the benefit of the public and also for businesses. These allow you to make an informed choice and be clear about how we charge.
For the Public
| Cash Purchase of a freehold property | £525 plus £105 VAT and third-party expenses |
| Sale of a freehold property | £425 plus £85 VAT and third-party expenses |
| Cash Purchase of a leasehold property | £625 plus £125 VAT and third-party expenses |
| Sale of a leasehold property | £525 plus £105 VAT and third-party expenses |
| Single basic will | £185 plus £37 VAT |
| Couples basic will | £300 plus £60 VAT |
| Obtaining a Grant of Probate (with will) | Between £550 - £750 plus £110 - £150 VAT and third party expenses |
| Obtaining Letters of Administrators (no will) | Between £550 - £750 plus £110 - £150 VAT and third party expenses |
| Single Lasting Power of Attorney registered | £400 plus £80 VAT and £82 registration fee |
| Couples Lasting Power of Attorney registered | £550 plus £110 VAT and £164 registration fee |
Employment Tribunal claims such as Unfair dismissal/discrimination
| Single case | £2000 - £3000 plus £400 - 600 VAT |
| Medium complexity | £4500 - £6500 plus £900 - 1300 VAT |
| High Complexity | £8500 - £12000 plus £1700 - £2400 VAT |
For Businesses
Undisputed debt claims
| Debt value | Our Fee | Court Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £5000 | £45 plus £9 VAT | £25 - £185 |
| £5001 - £10,000 | £60 plus £12 VAT | £410 |
| £10001 - £50,000 | £100 plus £20 VAT | £4.5% of claim value |
Defending employment tribunal claims
| Simple Case | £2000 - £3000 plus £400 - £600 VAT |
| Medium Complexity | £4500 - £6500 plus £900 - £1300 VAT |
| High Complexity | £8500 - £12000 plus £1700 - £2400 VAT |
Miscellaneous Fees
| Change of name deed (Deed poll) | £90 plus £18 VAT |
| Certify a Lasting Power of Attorney | £40 |
| Land Registry ID1 Form | £50 |
| Certify any other document multiple pages | £40 |
| Certify any other document single page | £30 |
| Certify a passport | £40 |
| Swear an Oath/Statutory Declaration | £5 plus £2 per attachment |
We have to explain to you what services are included in the above fees and what work is not included and how that may be charged.
Purchase of a residential freehold property
Our fees cover all the work required to complete the purchase of your new home including dealing with registration at the Land Registry and dealing with a Stamp Duty Land Return to HMRC and making payment where appropriate.
| Legal Fee | £525 plus £105 VAT |
There may be Stamp Duty Land Tax to pay. You can calculate this by using the HMRC website, but we will advise you upon the figure.
How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move into your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 6-10 weeks. It can be quicker or slower depending upon many factors like how many people may be in the chain.
The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. However, below are some of the key stages:
- Take your instructions and give you initial advice
- Check finances are in place to fund purchase
- Receive and advise on contract documents
- Carry out searches
- Obtain further planning documentation if required
- Make any necessary enquiries of seller’s solicitor
- Give you advice on all documents and information received
- Send final contract to you for signature
- Agree completion date (date from which you own the property)
- Exchange contracts and notify you that his has happened
- Arrange for all monies needed to be received from you
- Complete purchase
- Deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax
- Deal with application for registration at Land Registry
Purchase of a leasehold residential property
Our fees cover all the work required to complete the purchase of your new home including dealing with registration at the Land Registry and dealing with a Stamp Duty Land Return to HMRC and making payment where appropriate.
| Legal fee | £625 plus £125 VAT |
| Local Search | |
| Water & Drainage Search | |
| Mining Search (WMDC area, other areas may vary) | £132.96 |
| Land Registry search fee before completion | £3 |
| Land Registry Registration fee depending on value | £20 - £135 up to £500,000 |
| Electronic money transfer fee | £30 |
| Estimated Total | £845.96 |
There are certain third-party expenses which we handle on your behalf which will be set out in the lease. These can be:
| Notice of Transfer fee | this fee if chargeable is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £40-£60. |
| Deed of Covenant fee | this fee is normally set by the Management Company or Solicitors and can be difficult to estimate. Often it is between £100 - £150 plus £20 - £30 VAT. |
| Certificate of Compliance to remove restriction at Land Registry | normally included in the deed of covenant fee. |
There maybe Stamp Duty Land Tax to pay. You can calculate this by using the HMRC website, but we will advise you upon the figure.
How long will it take from your offer being accepted until you can move in to your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 6-10 weeks.
The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential leasehold property vary according to the circumstances but below are some of the key stages:
- Take your instructions and give you initial advice
- Check finances are in place to fund purchase
- Receive and advise on contract documents
- Carry out searches
- Obtain further planning documentation if required
- Make any necessary enquiries of seller’s solicitors
- Give you advice on all documents and information received
- Send final contract to you for signature
- Draft Transfer
- Advise you on joint ownership
- Obtain pre-completion searches
- Agree completion date (date from which you own the property)
- Exchange contracts and notify you that his has happened
- Arrange for all monies needed to be received from you
- Complete purchase
- Deal with payment of Stamp Duty
- Deal with application for registration at Land Registry
The fee assumes that:
(a) it is a standard transaction and no unforeseen matters arise like a defect in title.
(b) it is an assignment of an existing lease and not the grant of a new lease.
(c) the transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complications arise.
(d) all parties are cooperative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation.
(e) no indemnity policies are required.
Obtaining a grant of probate, collecting and distributing assets
We anticipate this will cost between £500 and £750 plus £100 - £150 VAT. 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:
- There is a valid will
- There is no more than one property
- There is no more than 1 or 2 bank or building society accounts
- There are no other intangible assets
- There are 1 or 2 beneficiaries
- There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
- There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
- There are no claims made against the estate
There are third party expenses to pay as well as our fees.
| Probate Application fee | £273 |
| Swearing an Oath for Grant per Executor | £5 plus £2 with will attached |
| Advert in local newspaper London Gazette to protect Executors | £60 - £90 |
Additional costs
- If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings, there is likely to be additional costs.
- Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.
On average it takes about 16 weeks where there is a will and if no will longer, to obtain a grant and then 4 to 6 weeks to collect the assets. Once this has been done we can distribute the assets which normally takes 2-3 weeks.
The Fees include:
- Providing you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor to work on your matter
- Identifying the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
- Accurately Identifying the type of Probate application you will require
- Obtaining the relevant documents required to make the application
- Completing the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
- Drafting a legal oath for you to sear
- Making the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
- Obtaining the Probate and securely send two copies to you
- Collecting and distribute all assets in the estate
Employment Tribunal Claims
Our pricing for bringing and defending claims for unfair dismissal:
| Simple Case | £2000 - £3000 plus £400 - £600 VAT |
| Medium complexity | £4500 - £6500 plus £900 - £1300 VAT |
| High complexity | £8500 - £12000 plus £1700 - £2400 VAT |
Factors that could make a case more complex:
- If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim
- Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person
- Making or defending a costs application
- Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant 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
There will be additional charges for attending a Tribunal hearing which would be charged at an hourly rate of £200 plus £40 VAT per hour. On average this could be an 8 to 10-hour day including travelling.
Normally the only third-party expenses could be barristers’ fees if we were to use one to deal with the final hearing. Their fees vary depending upon experience, but they could be between £1500 - £4000 plus £300 - £800 VAT.
The above fees set out to cover all of the work for the key stages of the claim being
- Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on the 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 claim or response
- Reviewing and advising on claim or 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 and chronology
- Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing, including instructions to a Barrister
The stages set out above are an indication of some of the work, but some may not be required and therefore the fee would be reduced.
If the claim is settled prior to any claim is commenced if could take 6-12 weeks but if it proceeds to a final hearing it could take 12 to 18 months. This is of course an estimate and we will be able to give you amore accurate timescale once we have more information.
Debt recovery
For court claims these costs apply in relation to an unpaid invoice which is not disputed, and enforcement action is not needed. If the other party disputes your claim at any point, we will discuss any further work required and provide you with revised advice about costs which could be on a fixed fee or an hourly rate if more extensive work is needed.
| Debt Value | Our Fee | Court Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £5000 | £45 plus £9 VAT | £25 - £185 |
| £5001 - £10,000 | £60 plus £12 VAT | £410 |
| £10001 - £50,000 | £100 plus £20 VAT | £4.5% of claim value |
Anyone wishing to chase a debt should realise that:
- the VAT element of our fee cannot be reclaimed from your debtor
- Interest and compensation may take the debt in to a higher banding with a higher cost
- The costs quoted are not for matters where enforcement action such as the bailiff is required to collect your debt
The fee we have quoted includes:
- Taking your instructions and reviewing documentation
- Undertaking appropriate searches
- Sending a letter before action following the Debt Action Protocol
- Receiving payment and sending onto you, or if the debt is not paid, drafting and issuing claim
- Where no Acknowledgment of Service or Defence is received, applying to the court to enter Judgment in default
- When Judgement in default is received, write to the other side to request payment
- If payment is not received with 7 days, providing you with advice on next steps and likely costs
It usually takes 8 to 12 weeks from receipt of instructions from you to receipt of payment from the other side depending on whether or not it is necessary to issue a claim. This is on the basis that the other side pays promptly on receipt of a Judgment in default. If enforcement action is needed the matter will take longer to resolve.
Application for Premises Licence or Variation
A fixed fee of £500 plus £100 VAT but excluding third party expenses
The third-party expenses we will pay on your behalf to ensure a smoother process
| Simple Case | £2000 - £3000 plus £400 - £600 VAT |
| Medium complexity | £4500 - £6500 plus £900 - £1300 VAT |
| High complexity | £8500 - £12000 plus £1700 - £2400 VAT |
| Application fee (payable to licensing authority) | £100 - £635 depending on rateable value and thereafter annual fee of £70 - £350 (regions of the country vary with fees) |
| Advertising Fee | £60 - £100 |
The work will include:
- Taking your instructions and advising you as to how you can promote the licensing objectives within your application.
- Advising you as to the type of plans you are required to submit with your application
- Completing the application form for a new premises licence (including the operating schedule) in accordance with your instructions and submitting this to the local licensing authority alongside suitable plans. You must provide suitable plans.
- Providing guidance on the fee levels payable to the licensing authority.
- Preparing copies of the premises licence application for disclosure to the responsible authorities and serving copies of the application on the responsible authorities.
- Drafting the notices advertising the premises licence application and submitting the notice to the local newspaper.
- Arranging with you for you to display the notice(s) advertising the premises licence application and advising as to where and how this should be done by you in order to comply with the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003.
- Providing a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) consent form for signature by a personal licence holder proposed by yourself.
- Checking the licence once granted and correcting any errors with the licensing authority.
Work that is not included and would be extra is:
- Obtaining suitable plans.
- Attending pre-consultation meeting with the Licensing Authority or Responsible Authorities, nor their fee for this meeting.
- Dealing with or advising you in relation to queries or representation received from either the responsible authorities or other interested parties.
- Advising on varying the licence.
- Attendance and representation at the licensing sub-committee hearing of the responsible authority. If representations are received and attendance and representation at a licensing sub-committee is required, then we will provide a sperate fee estimate for this work which will be charged at an hourly rate.
The application could take 8 to 16 weeks from receipt of instructions from you. This is on the basis of the application being relatively straightforward. If the matter is more complex for example if there is substantial opposition from interested parties it may take longer.
All the work detailed above is carried out by Nicholas Andrew Castle and he is assisted by Maria Shackleton. Nicholas has over 30 years’ experience having qualified as a Solicitor in 1987 and worked in a number of larger Wakefield firms up to the level of Partner before setting up Normanton Legal in 2013. He is the sole Director of the Company.
