Who was the executor / personal respresentative of the deceased person (the testator)?...english solicitor charging 23,000 sterling for distruibuting of a relations estate and it taking 2 years to do ...
I'd imagine the 23K is a percentage of the estate. If you said the estate was worth 50K and the fees were 23K then I'd say that was not normal but if it was a 2 million estate then it wouldn't sound like a lot. Also depends on the complication of the work involved. The English Law society (not sure what it's called) would be your best bet for information on English probate fees.
I'd imagine the 23K is a percentage of the estate. If you said the estate was worth 50K and the fees were 23K then I'd say that was not normal but if it was a 2 million estate then it wouldn't sound like a lot. Also depends on the complication of the work involved. The English Law society (not sure what it's called) would be your best bet for information on English probate fees.
I had an elderly relative die a year or so ago and the solicitor involved said he no longer charged a percentage of the estate as soaring property prices meant disproportionate fees as a property was ususally the main part of the estate. He said he now charged a flat fee which seemed fair to me. I think the 23K fee is probably a percentage and that the UK solicitor is legally right to take it - but morally you've got to wonder. If for example there was one asset ( a house) worth 2 mil there can't be much more work involved than an estate where the only asset is a house worth 250K - yet on a percentage basis he could charge 8 times the fee.
Probably worth querying the fees but as with a lot of services fees should have been discussed and agreed up front (you'll probably find they were and are in a letter he sent at the beginning)
The Solicitors Regulation Authority are the independent regulatory body for solicitors in England and Wales. Their website is here.
Their code of conduct is [broken link removed]
Check if the solicitor concerned is governed by this body. There is a link on the website.
Even better there is a complaints handling website, [broken link removed]
Apparently there are time limits for a complaint about a bill:
"Time limits on complaints: Are there any? What are they? There are time limits for
It's important for you to contact us before these deadlines. If you leave it any longer, we may decide not to investigate your complaint.
- making a complaint about poor service
- reporting a solicitor's conduct
- applying for a remuneration certificate
Poor service
If you want to complain about poor service, you must contact us
Whichever is later
- within six months of the end of the work the solicitor did for you, or
- within six months of finding out there was a problem
Solicitor's conduct
If you want to report a solicitor's conduct, you must contact us within six months of the conduct having taken place.
Solicitor's bill
When your solicitor informs you of your right to apply for a [broken link removed] (many solicitors do this in a statement printed on the back of the bill), you have one month to apply to your solicitor in writing for a remuneration certificate.
If your solicitor doesn't inform you of your right to apply for a remuneration certificate – and they have already taken their costs from money they are holding for you – you have three months from the date you receive the bill to apply to your solicitor in writing for a remuneration certificate. Call our helpline – 0845 608 6565 – if you're concerned about meeting a deadline."
You're making the mistake of thinking that a phone call is nothing, normally solicitors would bill by the time spent, they probably have an hourly rate and an hour of their time on the phone is the same as an hour spent doing paperwork or advising clients. I've worked in American and English practises and the bills were unbelievable, they even charged their evening take away meals to the clients accounts when they worked late which was every night. I'd say the solicitor has a log (timesheets) of all the work done. What was the value of the estate?
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