Our Wills Pricing

A Will is a legal document that outlines your wishes for the distribution of your assets after your passing. A basic will typically covers straightforward scenarios and does not include complex estate planning or provisions.

A basic will may include designating beneficiaries, appointing an executor to carry out your wishes, and specifying how your assets should be distributed.

The fixed price quoted includes the following: –

Mirror wills are wills that are virtually identical. Where a couple have differing requirements their instructions shall be treated as two separate basic wills and not mirrored wills, and charged accordingly.

Examples of services not included within the price

Where your instructions require consideration of any of the following, you will need a bespoke quotation as a basic will shall not be suitable.

• Will in contemplation of marriage
• Inheritance tax advice
• Substitute executors
• Substitute beneficiaries
• Wills in contemplation of marriage
• Advice with regard to the mitigation of any future care home costs
• Lifetime estate planning
• Advice with regard to excluding beneficiaries
• Occupancy/lifetime trusts
• Discretionary trusts
• Advice on business property
• Advice on additional property owned in addition to your home
• Shares in private limited companies
• Assets held outside of England & Wales
• If you live outside of England & Wales

Examples of additional legal work which may be necessary

• Land registry
  • Where you own a home jointly, it may be necessary to obtain a copy of your title from the land registry. There will be an additional fee of £50 plus VAT to obtain a copy of the title. There is also a £3 disbursement payable to the land registry.
  • If it is a requirement to alter the form of ownership at the land registry and/or add/remove a restriction from the registers of title, an additional fee of £150 plus VAT shall apply.
• eIDV checks
  • Where you are unable to provide to us an original copy of your identity documents then we are able to undertake electronic identity verification checks at a fee of £25 plus VAT per check.
• Variation to your instructions once the draft will has been prepared
  • Additional charges will apply if you provide additional instructions after the draft will has been provided to you for approval. These charges will be calculated based on the additional time expected to prepare the revised draft. See below table for our current hourly rates: -Partners/Members: £260.00 per hour plus VAT
    Assistant Solicitors: £210.00 per hour plus VAT
    Trainee Solicitors/Paralegals: £195.00 per hour plus VATAll fee quotes are subject to VAT at the prevailing rate.

We aim to draft wills within 48 hours of receiving instructions from you. We do ask for full payment on account of costs prior to commencing the legal work.

As explained, quotations are influenced by several factors including the complexity of your affairs. Once we have been able to discuss your requirements at the free initial consultation, you will be provided with a bespoke quotation. Where your instructions do not meet the criteria of a basic will, the quotation shall represent the estimation of time to be undertaken in fulfilling your will instructions. See below table for our current hourly rates: –

All fee quotes are subject to VAT at the prevailing rate.

Examples of typical will instructions and our charges

(A) Single Will – Single man with no children

James attends a free initial consultation.

James explains that he is a single man with no children. He wishes to appoint his sister as his sole executor and sole beneficiary of his estate.

In such a scenario, where the instructions provided at the face-to-face meeting are relatively straightforward, a fixed fee of £210 plus VAT shall apply to prepare the will.

(B) Mirror Wills – Married couple with children

James and Jessica attend a free initial consultation.

James and Jessica explain they are married with two children. They have never previously married nor do they have any children outside of their marriage. They wish to leave their estate to their surviving partner and on the second death, they wish for their children their residuary estate equally providing that should either of their children die before them leaving children of their own, that those children shall take, and if more than one equally, the share of their parent which they would otherwise have inherited had they not predeceased.

In such a scenario, where the instructions provided at the face-to-face meeting are relatively straightforward, a fixed fee of £350 plus VAT shall apply to prepare the wills.

(C) Mirror Wills – Married couple with children

Tom and Diane attend a free initial consultation.

Tom and Diane explain they are married with two children. Their instructions are more or less the same and James and Jessica in example B above. However, Tom wants to leave five individuals cash gifts varying in size, and Diane wants to leave gifts of specific items to 10 distant family members and friends.

In such a scenario, a bespoke quote will be provided to Tom and Diane. Given the additional clauses required to be drafted Tom and Diane can expect to receive a quotation in the region of £400-£550 plus VAT.

(D) Mirror Wills – Children from Previous Marriage

Ryan and Harriet attend a free initial consultation.

Ryan and Harriet explain they are married. They do not have any children together. Ryan has been previously married and has two children from that relationship. Harriet also has children from a previous relationship. Ryan and Harriet own a home together as joint tenants. They contributed equally toward the purchase. Should either Ryan or Harriet die, they would like their surviving partner to be able to reside in the property rent free until they die, but they both wish to ensure that their share of the property goes to their respective children.

In such a scenario, a bespoke quote will be provided to Ryan and Harriet at the consultation. It will be necessary to draft an occupancy/life interest trust. It will also be necessary to sever the joint tenancy and register a restriction at the land registry. Given the level of work involved, Ryan and Harriet can expect to receive a quotation in the region of £600-£800 plus VAT.

(E) Single Will – Excluded beneficiaries

James attends a free initial consultation.

James explains that he wants to instruct us to prepare a basic single will at our fixed fee of £210 plus VAT. James wants to appoint his daughter as his sole executrix and beneficiary. James discloses that he has two sons and that he does not wish for them to benefit from his estate at all – citing that one is rich and the other he fell out with years ago.

In such a scenario, the instructions do not fit within the scope of basic single will. Although the will itself seems straightforward there are a myriad of legal issues that need to be considered and reported on.

James can expect to receive a bespoke quotation in the region of £400-£500 plus VAT.

(F) Single Will – Vulnerable Beneficiary

Ryan attends a free initial consultation.

Ryan explains that he is a single father, and that his child, who is under the age of 18 has a medical condition which means that it is unlikely that they will ever be able to manage their own finances.

As such, although Ryan wants to make sure his entire estate passes to his child, it is important that this will be managed on behalf of his child, to ensure that they are protected and their interests safeguarded.

As above, and although Ryan only intends to benefit his child, this does not fit within the scope of a basic single will. A trust will likely need to be drafted (most likely a discretionary trust), and the taxation consequences, among other matters, will need to be considered.

Ryan can expect to receive a bespoke quotation in the region of £750 – £900 plus VAT.

Sometimes, if the changes required to an existing will are minor, what is known as a Codicil may be appropriate.

As above, quotations are influenced by several factors including the complexity of your affairs. Once we have discussed your requirements at the free initial consultation you will be provided with a bespoke quotation. The quotation shall represent the estimation of time to be undertaken on your will. See below table for our current hourly rates: –

All fee quotes are subject to VAT at the prevailing rate.

An initial consultation for the preparation of a will shall be chargeable at a fixed fee of £100 plus VAT (limited to one hour). Should you proceed to instruct us in the preparation of your will then the costs of preparing your will shall be discounted by £100 plus VAT accordingly.

Should you require a home visit a fee of £150 plus VAT shall apply.

There is a fixed fee of £200 plus VAT for a one-hour initial consultation in connection with lifetime estate planning, inheritance tax planning, or any other matter not directly in connection with the preparation of new wills.

Our professional charges are subject to payment of VAT. Please note that vat will be payable at the prevailing rate as at the invoice date. You will be provided with a VAT Invoice in respect of our charges.

Head of Department

Our Head of Department is Emma Donovan. Emma is responsible for supervising our team of private client lawyers.