Private Client

Pricing and Services

The information on costs and timing is provided for guidance only. It is not a quotation. We shall be pleased to provide information relating to a particular matter on request. Every client will receive a letter of engagement and terms of business setting out our terms and costs based on their needs and the specific facts of the matter.

My contact with Morr & Co has been straightforward. There has been a willingness to listen and explain things in more detail if needed. I would certainly recommend this firm

Holly Chantler

Holly Chantler

Partner, Head of Department

Private Client

Wills

Our charges are based on fixed fees unless any factors are involved which would mean that we charge on our hourly rates. The factors that would mean that we would charge on an hourly rate are as follows:

  • Issues with capacity;
  • Meetings are to take place somewhere other than our offices;
  • Prolonged correspondence;
  • You require tax advice;
  • You wish to set up a trust;
  • Substantial changes to your instructions following preparation of draft documentation; or
  • Foreign assets or foreign domicile.

Our team are experienced in delivering high quality work in all matters relating to Wills.

Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by Holly Chantler, Partner Solicitor and Head of Department.

You can read more details about individual members of our team here.

Name Position Date of Qualification Additional Qualifications Hourly rate (plus 20% VAT)
Holly Chantler Partner Solicitor 15/10/2008 Head of Department

Court of Protection Panel Deputy

Notary Public

STEP - TEP (full member)

Member of Solicitors for the Elderly

£390 (plus £78 VAT)
Malcolm Martin Compliance Partner Solicitor 15/04/1981 Family Law Arbitrator £395 (plus £79 VAT)
Jonathan Jacobs Partner Solicitor 01/09/2000 £360 (plus £72 VAT)
Sarah Sarwar Partner Solicitor 01/09/2005 £360 (plus £72 VAT)
Rod Cowles Consultant Solicitor 15/05/1984 £360 (plus £72 VAT)
Senior Associate Solicitor(8 + years PQE) £360 (plus £72 VAT)
Associate Solicitor (4-8 years PQE) From £275 (plus £55 VAT) to £360 (plus £72 VAT)
Solicitor (0-4 Years PQE) £275 (plus £55 VAT)
Trainee Solicitor £195 (plus £39 VAT)
Paralegal* £195 (plus £39 VAT)
Legal Administration £50 (plus £10 VAT)

*Paralegals in the team are not qualified lawyers, but they have practical experience in working with lawyers to progress cases.

  1. Taking your instructions and advising you in relation to your Wills.
  2. Preparation of draft Wills for approval (2 weeks).
  3. Making minor amendments to drafts and preparing formal documents for signature (1 week).
  4. Attending you and witnessing signing or providing advice on signing of documents (1 week).
  • Your tax status or your obligations under FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act);
  • Preparation of a letter of wishes;
  • Establishing the basis of ownership of assets where you are uncertain as to the ownership;
  • Advice on third party rights;
  • Mitigation of potential Inheritance Tax;
  • Advice on the implications of the Inheritance (Provision of Family and Dependants) Act 1975 and any steps to be taken to minimise the chances of an application being successful and advice on mitigation of tax liabilities under the Act
  • The right for dissatisfied beneficiaries to make a claim against an estate;
  • Protection of assets in the event of bankruptcy, divorce or death of a beneficiary;
  • Advice in relation to beneficiaries under any disability;
  • Advice on succession of foreign property;
  • Establishing the value of an asset;
  • The commercial value or investment potential of any particular gift by Will;
  • The suitability of a person to act as executor or trustee;
  • Severance of a tenancy; and
  • Financial advice
Work Average fees (plus 20% VAT)
Simple Will for one person £750 (plus £150 VAT)
Simple, mirror Wills for a couple £975 (plus £195 VAT)

Unless specifically advised, our work in relation to Wills is not on a time spent basis.

We charge for an initial meeting and the cost of this will be included in the fees set out above should you instruct us to prepare Wills for you.

A disbursement is a payment to a third party that we make on our client’s behalf to ensure a smoother process. The cost of the disbursement is passed onto the client via invoice at a later stage.

If you wish to make a specific gift of property in your Will then we would obtain a copy of the Title from the Land Registry for a fee of £3.00 (with no VAT added).

Estate Administration

Our charges will be based on hourly rates.

Where Morr & Co are instructed by executors to act for them in estate administration.

Our team are experienced in delivering high quality work in all matters relating to estate administration.

Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by Holly Chantler, Partner Solicitor and Head of Department.

You can read more details about individual members of our team here.

Name Position Date of Qualification Additional Qualifications Hourly rate (plus 20% VAT)
Holly Chantler Partner Solicitor 15/10/2008 Head of Department

Court of Protection Panel Deputy

Notary Public

STEP - TEP (full member)

Member of Solicitors for the Elderly

£390 (plus £78 VAT)
Malcolm Martin Compliance Partner Solicitor 15/04/1981 Family Law Arbitrator £395 (plus £79 VAT)
Jonathan Jacobs Partner Solicitor 01/09/2000 £360 (plus £72 VAT)
Sarah Sarwar Partner Solicitor 01/09/2005 £360 (plus £72 VAT)
Rod Cowles Consultant Solicitor 15/05/1984 £360 (plus £72 VAT)
Senior Associate Solicitor(8 + years PQE) £360 (plus £72 VAT)
Associate Solicitor (4-8 years PQE) From £275 (plus £55 VAT) to £360 (plus £72 VAT)
Solicitor (0-4 Years PQE) £275 (plus £55 VAT)
Trainee Solicitor £195 (plus £39 VAT)
Paralegal £195 (plus £39 VAT)
Legal Administration £50 (plus £10 VAT)

*Paralegals in the team are not qualified lawyers, but they have practical experience in working with lawyers to progress cases.

**Please note, if Morr & Co are appointed to act as an executor in the Will, our hourly rates are increased by £20 (plus £4 VAT) to £35 (plus £7 VAT) per hour.

We charge for an initial meeting with you and the cost of this will be included in the fees set out above should you instruct us to administer the estate. If you do not choose to instruct us following this initial meeting it may be appropriate for us to send you an invoice for our time spent during that meeting (for example if the time spent is substantial, or if legal advice is given).

Executor (sometimes known as an administrator) -  the person responsible for administering the estate (gathering the assets of the deceased, paying liabilities and tax and accounting to beneficiary/ beneficiaries). 

Beneficiary – the person or people who inherit from the estate.

Grant of probate – the document that proves the validity of the Will and gives the executor the authority to encash certain assets of the estate.

Typically the work involved in the administration of the estate can be divided into two phases: work required up to the issue of the grant of probate and work required after probate has been issued.

If an estate is straightforward, an executor might only require our assistance with Phase 1 but this not always appropriate would be discussed and agreed on a case by case basis.

The key stages of the administration of an “average” estate are as follows: 

Phase 1 - Pre grant work:

  1. Meeting with the executors to discuss the estate and run through our probate questionnaire.
  2. Obtaining details of all assets and liabilities of the deceased.
  3. Obtaining valuations of all assets and liabilities of the deceased's estate.
  4. Preparing estate accounts for the purposes of obtaining probate.
  5. Preparing executors' oath.
  6. Meeting with you to review the matter and sign the paperwork required to apply for probate.
  7. Obtaining grant of probate.

Phase 2 - Post grant work

  1. Preparing section 27 Trustee Act notices (see “disbursements” below for further explanation of this)
  2. Realising all assets required to be liquidated.
  3. Paying all debts, funeral expenses, Inheritance Tax and legacies.
  4. Carrying out bankruptcy searches and paying pecuniary legacies.
  5. Finalising estate.
  6. Obtaining letter of clearance for the purposes of Inheritance Tax.
  7. Sending the estate accounts to the executors for approval.
  8. Sending the estate accounts to the residuary beneficiaries for approval.
  9. Carrying out bankruptcy searches and distributing the residuary estate.
  10. Dealing with the deceased's income tax affairs to the date of death.
  11. Completing a Trust and Estate Tax Return for the period of administration.

The ‘average’ costs for estate administration is likely to fall within the following range:

Phase 1 (pre grant) Phase 2 (post grant)   Total
Average Cost From £3,150 (plus £630 VAT) to £7,875 (plus £1,575 VAT) From £3,150 (plus £630 VAT) to £7,875 (plus £1,575 VAT) From £6,300 (plus £1,260 VAT) to £15,750 (plus £3,150 VAT)
Average time that we will need to spend 10 - 25 hours 10 - 25 hours 20 - 50 hours

At the beginning of the process we will meet with you to discuss the estate and after that meeting we will provide you with our fee estimate which is what we anticipate the work will cost.

Starting costs
The minimum cost for administration of a very simple estate would be as follows:

Phase 1 (pre grant) Phase 2 (post grant) Total
£2,500 (plus £500 VAT) £2,500 (plus £500 VAT) £5,000 (plus £1,000 VAT)

Average costs
The ‘average’ costs for estate administration is likely to fall within the following range:

Phase 1 (pre grant) Phase 2 (post grant) Total
Average cost From £3,150 (plus £630 VAT) to  £7,875 (plus £1,575 VAT) From £3,150 (plus £630 VAT) to  £7,875 (plus £1,500 VAT) From £6,300 (plus £1,260 VAT)  to  £15,750 (plus £3,150 VAT)
Average time that we will need to spend 10 - 25 hours 10 - 25 hours 20 - 50 hours

We have provided both a minimum and an average cost above for estate administration. If an estate contains some of the below factors, you can expect that the cost of the service will be higher than the minimum cost stated above (and can exceed the range of average costs provided above):  

  • Estate is worth over £1 million
  • Estate contains more than five assets
  • Estate involves the sale of a property
  • Assets in foreign jurisdictions
  • Inheritance tax is payable
  • Capital gains tax is payable
  • Claims are made by beneficiaries or creditors or there is any kind of dispute in the estate
  • Extensive correspondence with beneficiaries or executors is required
  • Dealing with multiple executors who do not provide us with consistent or clear instructions
  • The Will contains more than three beneficiaries
  • Deed of variation is required
  • The deceased owned private company shares
  • The deceased owned public limited company shares
  • The deceased had complex business affairs
  • Lack of clarity over assets owned by the deceased
  • Assets are to be transferred to beneficiaries in lieu of residue
  • The deceased had multiple bank accounts
  • The deceased had an investment portfolio or portfolios

A disbursement is a payment to a third party that we make on our client’s behalf. The cost of the disbursement is passed on to the client via invoice at a later stage.

If the expense forms part of our service, it is chargeable to VAT at 20%.  Items which are paid out on your behalf as agent and do not form part of our service are deemed to be classed as a disbursement for VAT purposes, and therefore outside the scope of VAT.

Expenses and disbursements could include items such as:

Probate registry fee £273 plus 50p per office copy Grant of Probate/ Grant of Letters of Administration required (this disbursement does not incur VAT).
Land Registry fees and search fees If the estate contains a property we will be obtaining an official copy of the title. Ordinarily the cost of this is £3 per search, with no VAT incurred.
Section 27 Trustee Act notices In order to protect executors, a notice can be placed in the London Gazette and a local paper confirming that the estate is being administered and after a period of 2 months has expired the personal representatives would be free of any liability for debts which had not been notified to them.  The cost will be in the region of £250 (plus £50 VAT).
Bankruptcy searches These are carried out against the name of each beneficiary prior to distributing any money to them from the estate. The cost of a UK bankruptcy search is £2 per person (this disbursement does not incur VAT).

If beneficiaries are based abroad, foreign bankruptcy searches will be required and the cost of these will depend on the jurisdiction in question.

There are further disbursements which might need to be incurred if relevant to the estate. If Morrisons are acting as executor, we will be incurring the following additional disbursements.

Will search The costs of this are in the region of £105, plus £21 VAT and this search will: check to see whether a Will has been registered with Certainty (the National Wills Register) which holds 7 million records; performs a geographically targeted search for Will that are not registered with certainty amongst law firms and Will writers; places a notice on the Certainty Missing Will notice board.
Asset search The cost of the asset search region of £185, plus £37 VAT
Share Valuation If the deceased estate contains share, we will carry out a professional valuation to ensure the correct values are ascertained. The cost of the share valuation in the region of £1000, plus £200 VAT

Please note that all of the above third parties are subject to change as they are dealt with by third parties and their costs may increase from time to time. The type of disbursements required can vary depending on the individual case.

The below elements will not be included in the displayed price and separate estimates will be provided on a case by case basis:

  • Deed of variation
  • Advice on foreign assets
  • Conveyancing
  • Any advice regarding claims by beneficiaries and creditors
  • Any litigation advice
  • Commercial or corporate advice

Lasting Powers of Attorney

Our charges are based on fixed fees unless any factors are involved which would mean that we charge on our hourly rates. The factors that would increase our costs are as follows:

  • Issues with capacity;
  • The situation means we cannot act as certificate provider (for example, if you are appointing us as your attorneys);
  • Prolonged correspondence;
  • Delays in the attorneys signing ;
  • Appointment of attorneys jointly rather than jointly and severally;
  • Meetings are to take place somewhere other than our offices;
  • Complex restrictions to be placed in the Lasting Powers of Attorney; and
  • Foreign assets

Our team are experienced in delivering high quality work in all matters relating to Lasting Powers of Attorney.

Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by Holly Chantler, Partner Solicitor and Head of Department.

You can read more details about individual members of our team here.

Name Position Date of Qualification Additional Qualifications Hourly rate (plus 20% VAT)
Holly Chantler Partner Solicitor 15/10/2008 Head of Department

Court of Protection Panel Deputy

Notary Public

STEP - TEP (full member)

Member of Solicitors for the Elderly

£390 (plus £78 VAT)
Malcolm Martin Compliance Partner Solicitor 15/04/1981 Family Law Arbitrator £395 (plus £79 VAT) if Morr & Co Compliance Partner Solicitor acting as Executor/Trustee
Jonathan Jacobs Partner Solicitor 01/09/2000 £360 (plus £72 VAT)
Sarah Sarwar Partner Solicitor 01/09/2005 £360 (plus £72 VAT)
Rod Cowles Consultant Solicitor 15/05/1984 £360 (plus £72 VAT)
Senior Associate Solicitor(8 + years PQE) £360 (plus £72 VAT)
Associate Solicitor (4-8 years PQE) From £275 (plus £55 VAT) to £360 (plus £72 VAT)
Solicitor (0-4 Years PQE) £275 (plus £55 VAT)
Trainee Solicitor £195 (plus £39 VAT)
Paralegal £195 (plus £39 VAT)
Legal Administration £50 (plus £10 VAT)

*Paralegals in the team are not qualified lawyers, but they have practical experience in working with lawyers to progress cases.

The average costs of us preparing Lasting Powers of Attorney are as follows:

Work Average fees (plus 20% VAT)
One person preparing one Lasting Power of Attorney From £1000 (plus £200 VAT)
Two people preparing one type of Lasting Power of Attorney each/One person preparing both types of Lasting Power of Attorney From £1,200 (plus £240 VAT)
Two people both preparing both types of Lasting Power of Attorney From  £1,800 (plus £360 VAT)

These are on the basis that none of the above ‘complicating’ factors apply. Unless specifically advised, our work in relation to Lasting Powers of Attorney is not on a time spent basis.

We charge for an initial meeting and the cost of this will be included in the fees set out above should you instruct us to prepare Lasting Powers of Attorney for you.

  1. Taking your instructions and advising on the formalities for signing of the documents and the registration process (1-2 weeks).
  2. Preparation of draft Lasting Powers of Attorney and forms necessary to apply for registration for approval (1-2 weeks).
  3. Making minor amendments to drafts and preparing formal documents for signature (1-2 weeks).
  4. Attending you and witnessing signing (1- 2 weeks) or you arranging your own certificate provider and arranging execution of the document (3-4 weeks).
  5. Your attorneys signing the documents (3-4 weeks).
  6. Registration of your Lasting Powers of Attorney at the Office of the Public Guardian (around 20 weeks).
  7. Storing Lasting Powers of Attorney and providing you with a copy of each completed document (1-2 weeks).
  • Liaising with any certificate provider (for example, if we are unable to act as your certificate provider);
  • Any objections to registration of the Lasting Powers of Attorney;
  • Revocation of any existing Enduring or Lasting Powers of Attorney;
  • Advising on the suitability of a person to act as an attorney;
  • Advice regarding Advance Decisions (also known as Living Wills); and
  • Acting as your attorney

A disbursement is a payment to a third party that we make on our client’s behalf to ensure a smoother process. The cost of the disbursement is payable by the client and we usually require funds on account prior to making payment. If the expense forms part of our service, it is chargeable to VAT at 20%.  Items which are paid out on your behalf as agent and do not form part of our service are deemed to be classed as a disbursement for VAT purposes, and therefore outside the scope of VAT.

Usually there will be a fee of £82 in respect of each document to be registered payable to the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG). The OPG registration fee may be reduced or not payable if you receive certain means tested benefits or if your gross income is less than £12,000 and if you can produce the necessary documentary evidence. The OPG fee does not incur VAT.

If you wish to appoint any member of this firm as either your attorney or replacement attorney then we will not legally be able to act as your certificate provider. The certificate provider may then have to act as your certificate provider and they may charge a fee for this which would be payable by you.