Probate & Inheritance Act Law
Many of us will not consider planning our estate early enough in life and issues of probate and can be forced upon us unexpectedly.
Our barristers can assist with drafting your will and advise on future planning, aswell as advising on probate issues after a death. Administration of estates, charities, court of protection, inheritance act claims, tax, trusts, wills.
Public Access – Inheritance Act Advice
The Inheritance Act 1975 protects spouses (including former spouses), cohabitants, children and other dependants when a person dies without leaving sufficient money for the dependent’s continued wellbeing. Our barristers can provide you with written advice on whether you can make a claim under the Act.
Our barristers can also provide you with written advice when a person dies and you are a beneficiary of the estate, but someone else makes a claim under the Act.
Timescales
Timescales for your written advice may vary depending on factors such as barristers’ availability, the value and complexity of the deceased person’s estate, your financial needs and those of any beneficiary of the estate. However, claims under the Act must be made within six months of the grant of probate, so as a guide your written advice will be available within two to four weeks where possible.
Additional costs
If required, travel and hotel expenses are charged at cost and included within the fixed fee unless stated.
For court fees please see https://www.gov.uk/court-fees-what-they-are
Rates
We charge fixed fees, which means that we will charge you a set amount of money for the work. Below we provide estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees for barristers at Quartz Barristers Chambers. where the deceased person’s estate is worth less than £300,000. All fees include VAT (where applicable), each barrister profile states if they are VAT registered.
The fixed fees may vary depending on your needs – for example, your fees may be towards the higher end of the range if you need a more experienced barrister and/or you have a more complex case. If you have a particularly complex case, your fees may also be higher than the estimates below.
There are also likely to be additional costs for time spent in correspondence via telephone/video conferences or drafting documents. The cost will be fixed and agreed in advance based upon the barrister’s hourly rate as stated on their profile.
An indication of our range of typical fixed fees are listed below:
| Inheritance Act | Ranges of fixed fees (estimate) |
| Written advice on making or defending a claim | £750 – £3000 |
All information is correct as of 1/5/19, but fees are estimates only. For themost accurate fee estimate, please contact the clerks on 0115 8961983 or clerks@quartzbarristers.co.uk