Prices and legal costs
We aim to offer you:
- Excellent legal service
- Legal advice you can trust
- Value for money
- Transparent legal costs
- Flexible payment options which are easy to understand.
- Peace of mind about your legal costs.
1. How much will it cost?
We understand that a legal case can be stressful so we aim to offer you a transparent fee structure to ensure there is one less thing for you to worry about.
All legal costs are explained to you and agreed in advance, we keep you fully informed about your costs throughout your case. Information about our legal prices and payment options are explained below. We will let you know who will be responsible for your case and their qualification.
Occasionally, we cannot say how much it will cost to complete your work. This happens in complex cases or in cases where it is not clear at the beginning what legal work will be involved. In these cases we will agree a price as soon as we can. Some clients prefer to pay on an hourly basis others prefer the certainty of a fixed fee.
Our objective is to be transparent in our pricing policy and legal costs and since we are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority you can be sure of the very highest professional standards.
2. Different Types of Legal Funding for You
Of course you will be concerned about the cost of legal services but our guarantee is to offer you excellent customer care, legal advice you can trust and value for money, all combined with our funding options, which are easy to understand.
All legal costs are agreed with you in advance and we keep you fully informed about your costs throughout your case. The first step is to call or email us now and ask for your free estimate of legal costs. However, you may prefer to read more about your options below before you do.
Whichever method you choose for paying your legal costs we will make it as clear and as easy as possible and above all manageable. We are confident that you will benefit from the excellent advice provided by our expert solicitors.
WTB Solicitors LLP offers you the following funding options:
2.1 Legal aid
For all publicly funded cases, we hold a Specialist Quality Mark from the Legal Aid Agency in Family, Housing law, Immigration and Asylum Law. Legal aid is not available for all legal cases but if it is available either the whole or part of your legal costs will be paid from public funds.
To assess whether you are eligible please call for a free assessment or follow the link to the Legal Services Commission Eligibility calculator.
2.2 Paying your own legal costs: fixed prices
2.2.1 Residential conveyancing
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What services are included?
Sale of your house
Our price assumes you only have one mortgage to repay and one registered legal title to sell.
Preparing a contract and submitting it to the buyer’s solicitors
Dealing with pre contract legal enquiries raised by the buyer’s solicitors
Exchanging contracts with the buyer’s solicitors to make a legally binding contract to sell, and completing the sale on the agreed date
Paying your estate agents and then accounting to you for any net proceeds
Purchase of a house
We have assumed that you are buying a single registered title
Investigating the legal title to the property including raising enquiries with the seller’s solicitors and reviewing & reporting to you on their replies
All land searches
The mortgage work and advising you in connection with your mortgage offer (but not making any disclosures to your lender required by conditions in your mortgage offer – all clients have different requirements – if your lender stipulates a disclosure an additional charge may be made – typically in the range £75.00 to £100.00 plus vat)
Negotiating the terms of the purchase contract
Preparing a report on the legal title and the results of the land searches
Exchanging contracts with the seller’s solicitors to make a legally binding contract to purchase the property and to complete the purchase
Preparing and submitting the HM Revenue & Customs Stamp Duty Land Tax Return and calculating the amount of Stamp Duty Land Tax payable.
Registering your purchase and mortgage at the government’s Land Registry
What is not included in the price?
When we provide our quote, it is not always possible to forecast every legal issue that might arise. If there is an unforeseen problem or an issue crops up once we have had chance to read the contract papers, we will advise you if there is an additional fee. This might happen if there are two registered titles or the legal title is leasehold or not registered or possible legal, planning or boundary defects. If this happens, we will advise you of the likely costs.
How long does it take?
We offer a priority service for an additional fee. Let us know If you are interested.
Your sale or purchase will always depend on how quickly the seller can move out or the speed of your buyer, but we will do all we can to deal with the paperwork quickly as possible.
You can help by returning documents we send promptly if there is anything you do not understand please give us a ring.
In 2021 the average time it takes for a home sale to complete is just under four months – around a fortnight longer than normal.
Who will do the conveyancing work?
All work is completed by qualified solicitors, our support staff are all experienced and supervised by the solicitor working on your house move.
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If you require a residential conveyancing cost estimate please click below to use our Conveyancing Legal Cost Calculator.
2.2.2 Estate Administration and Probate Service prices
We offer fixed price services to guide you through the difficult process of getting probate following the death of a relative or friend.
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Who will carry out this work?
The legal work and advice is provided by partners or solicitors in this with different levels of experience.
Our charges are either
Fixed fee, or
Hourly rates
Our fixed fees assume all work is completed at our office but we are happy to arranged home / nursing home / hospital visits. We chargefixed fee for this service of £50.00 +vat per visit and if two of our solicitors have to make a home visit an additional charge of £50.00 +vat per visit is made. Please note we will always require elderly or vulnerable clients to be accompanied by a family member at home though for reasons of solicitor confidentiality we may request to consult our client privately.
Where it takes us more than 10 hours to complete the fixed fee work we will charge on an hourly basis for the additional work but before we do so we will explain what work is needed and the likely additional cost.
Should there be any significant difficulties of if the matter does not proceed then our fees will be such lesser sum as is reasonable having regard to the amount of work done by that stage together with VAT and any disbursements incurred. This will be based upon the charge out rate of the person dealing with this matter. Members of CiLex are charged at the same rate as solicitors. The hourly rates are shown above.
Probate and Estate Administration Fixed Fee
| The Probate Grant Only. Service level 1 | Probate plus small estates administration: Service level 2 |
| You are happy to administer the estate yourself | You want us to deal with the entire estate administration |
| The net estate is worth less than £325,000 | The net estate is worth less than £325,000 |
| There are no more than five beneficiaries, AND | There are no more than five beneficiaries, AND |
| There are no more than 10 institutions / providers with whom the deceased held assets, who we need to deal with | |
| AND the work can be completed in 10 hours | AND the work can be completed in 10 hours |
| FIXED FEE £695.00 Plus VAT and disbursements | FIXED FEE £1500.00 Plus VAT and disbursements |
| Type of work | Service level 1. The Probate Grant Only include: | Service level 2. Obtaining probate and small estates administration. |
| Drafting the statement of truth in support of the application | Included | Included |
| Obtaining the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration | Included | Included |
| Acting on behalf of the administrators or executors of the will of the estate | Included | Included |
| Completion of the short Inheritance Tax form (IHT205) | Included | Included |
| All telephone calls, letter, emails, meetings & preparation work needed for this level of fixed fee service. | Included | Included |
| Arranging payment of funeral costs | Included | Included |
| Placing statutory notices to help limit your liability | Included | Included |
| Valuation of assets and liabilities in the estate | Not included | Included |
| Dealing with any bills relating to the house (insurance, utilities, council tax) | Not included | Included |
| Payment of debts and liabilities in the estate | Not included | Included |
| Collecting assets and paying legacies to beneficiaries | Not included | Included |
| Where the deceased was domiciled abroad or there are significant foreign assets | Not included | Not included |
| Identifying beneficiaries of the estate or searches for beneficiaries | Not included | Not included |
| Undertaking searches to look for a Will | Not included | Not included |
| Advice relating to any further steps required to administer the estate | Not included | Not included |
| Advice relating to the legal validity of the Will or the meaning of the Will | Not included | Not included |
| Transfer of Inheritance Tax nil rate band | Not included | Not included |
| Registration / notification of death | Not included | Not included |
| Dealing with any business owned by the deceased | Not included | Not included |
| Any sale of property or transfer of ownership by vesting assent | Not included | Not included |
| Inheritance tax, income tax or capital gains tax issues | Not included | Not included |
| Any disbursements (Probate Registry fees, oath fees) | Not included | Not included |
| Work which is necessary where a dispute between the parties arises | Not included | Not included |
| Estates where we estimate it will take more than 10 hours to complete the work | Not included. Note the first 10 hours work is included in the fixed fee | Not included Note the first 10 hours work is included in the fixed fee |
Where work is not included in a fixed fee we will supply an additional estimate based on hourly rates although some work can be carried out on a fixed fee basis, for example, selling or transferring ownership of a house.
Payment to Third Parties (Disbursements)
In addition to our fixed fees or hourly rates the following payments need to be made. There may be other fees to ay depending on your requirements.
| Probate Court fee | £155.00 |
| per sealed copy of the Grant of Probate/Letters of Administration – one per asset require | £0.50 each |
| £200 plus VAT (estimate) Statutory notices in The London Gazette and a Local Newspaper – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors | £200 + vat |
| Land Registry fee | £3.00 |
Estates where Inheritance Tax payable
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2.2.3 Immigration Law Prices (for all cases where legal aid is not available):
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Paying your own legal costs
In privately funded cases we can offer fixed fees for many types of cases and a competitive hourly rate in all other cases. We offer a free 15-minute consultation over the telephonewith a member of our legal team in order to assess your individual case and the level of representation you require. We can agree a fixed fee from the outset of your case tailored to your personal requirements.
Fixed-price Immigration Legal Advice
Our team of accredited legal professionals are dedicated to obtaining the best result possible in your circumstances. We offer a high-quality service, value for money our team are always available to guide you and ensure that you benefit from our experience and expert advice.
We offer:
A fixed fee
The range of costs below will depend on:
- The amount of time we spend calculated at an average hourly rate of £175.00 per hour plus vat if applicable
- The languages you speak
- Any other dependents involved in your application
- How much evidence you must have to support your application
- The urgency involved
If the legal service you require is not shown below, please telephone for a quote. The costs shown do not include appeals. Costs may be more if all the factors mentioned above are involved.
What services are included in our price?
- All meetings and telephone consultations to discuss your case in detail and to plan your application.
- Explaining the rules and how you can best meet them, explaining the procedures
- Explaining the evidence you will need to produce
- Preparing and submitting the application with your evidence in support, making appointments for biometrics,
- All letters to the Home Office, letters of representation
- Informing you of the result of your application and any conditions
How long will it take?
The service standards and average times at the Home Office are seen here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration/about-our-services
Our work will usually take between up to 2 months depending on complexity you can help You can help by returning documents we send promptly and letting us have your supporting evidence without delay. If there is anything you do not understand please give us a ring.
Our work in connection with an appeal may take up to 4 months depending on complexity. In country appeals could take up to 6 months and overseas application up to 18 months all depending on your own circumstances.
| Legal Advice Appointment | £150.00 |
| All Entry Clearance Applications for a spouse/child/visitor | £750.00 to £1250.00 No VAT applicable if the client is outside the UK |
| Extension of Stay/ Further Leave to Remain Applications | £750.00 to £1250.00 |
| Travel Document Applications | £250.00 to £500.00 |
| Human Rights Applications | £750.00 to £1250.00 |
| Settlement Applications on the basis of Spouse/Long Residence | £950.00 to £1500.00 |
| Nationality Applications | £750.00 to £1250.00 |
| EEA Applications | £1500.00 – £3000.00 |
| Appeals against refusal decisions, preparing appeal bundle and representation at First-tier Tribunal | £1500.00 to £2000.00 |
| Permission to Appeal Applications to the Upper Tribunal | £1500.00 to £3000.00 |
| Revocation of Deportation Orders | £1200.00 to £2000.00 |
| Judicial Review Applications | £3000.00 to £5000.00 |
| All prices have 20% vat added unless stated |
Examples of Additional fees (disbursements)
All disbursements will need to be paid for separately in addition to the fees for our services (Examples of disbursements include Home Office/visa application fees, Tribunal fees (currently £140 per person), Immigration Health Surcharges (IHS) Fees, interpreting/translation services, medical reports fees, expert report fees, travel expenses (if attendance required) etc.
Attending a Hearing Centre, Further Submission Unit, Home Office or Visa Application Centre outside the Manchester Area can incur travelling costs and will be discussed on request.
A barrister can be instructed upon request and barrister’s fees can be negotiated on an individual basis.
Find updated list of Home Office Fees.
Who will carry out this work?
The legal work and advice is provided by solicitors or Level 2 caseworkers who are Accredited by the Law Society with different levels of experience. From time to time they are assisted by trainee solicitors. All work is supervised by an Accredited Supervisor. We do not employ unqualified consultants.
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2.2.3 Fixed Fee Divorce Scheme
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Who will carry out this work?
The legal work and advice is provided by Partners Solicitors or Chartered Legal Executives sometimes assisted under supervision by trainee solicitors, legal assistants or para-legal’s in this department with different levels of experience.All work is supervised by solicitors who are Accredited by the Law Society either as Family Law Panel Members or Children Panel Members.
Our Price Promise
- We promise to provide the same high level of service whether or not you pay a Fixed Fee or an hourly rate.
- We promise that the Fixed Fee quoted for your divorce will not change unless you ask us for services that the Fixed Fee does not cover
Our Fixed Fee
| WTB fixed fee | £ 525.00 |
| VAT | £ 105.00 |
| Court fee | £ 550.00 |
| Total | £1,180.00 |
What is included in the Fixed Fee ?
- One meeting in our office with your solicitor.
- Preparation of the divorce/dissolution petition & any supporting documents.
- Obtaining your approval to the documents. We will amend them so please check the draft documentsvery carefully.
- Any necessary letters to your spouse/partner if an amendment to the divorce papers is needed after we have heard from your spouse then we will amend the divorce papers before issue in court .
- As a result of the last two paragraphs a total of two free amendments (before sending the papers to Court) are included in the price
- Sending the divorce papers to Court.
- Receiving your spouse/partner’s acknowledgment of the divorcepetition sending it to you preparing the application for Decree Nisi & statement in support of the petition & sending it to Court.
- Advising you of the date of your Decree Nisi.
- With your authority applying for Decree Absolute.
- Telephone calls emails and letters in order to carry out the above work.
What is not included in the Fixed Fee?
- A new petition on different grounds
- The fees of Barristers, Court fees, translators or interpreters, experts and process servers
- Divorces that are defended or do not proceed by consent.
- Obtaining your Marriage Certificate if you cannot get it yourself.
- Amendments to the Court documents (other than amendments included in the fixed fee above.
- Legal advice in relation to property, finances or children. Emails, letters, phone calls not included in the fixed fee
- Attendances at Court and advocacy in Court.
- Recovering costs that your spouse or partner has been ordered to pay to you.
What happens to fees and legal costs paid in advance if we reconcile or get back together?
- Any fees paid to the Court, Barristers, translators orinterpreters’ experts and process servers cannot be refunded.
- If you get back together before an application for decree nisi we will refund 50% of the fixed fee provided it has been paid in full.If not, you will owe us 50% of the fixed fee.
- If the application for decree nisi has been made then you will owe the full fixed fee.
What happens to fees and legal costs paid in advance if we reconcile or get back together?
- Any fees paid to the Court, Barristers, translators orinterpreters’ experts and process servers cannot be refunded.
- If you get back together before an application for decree nisi we will refund 50% of the fixed fee provided it has been paid in full.If not, you will owe us 50% of the fixed fee.
- If the application for decree nisi has been made then you will owe the full fixed fee.
Your Obligations to Us
You will provide reasonable instructions to us in a timely way.
We will need you to provide us with
- Your original Marriage Certificate or an official certified copy
- Evidence of your identity.
- Accurate spelling of your name, the name of your spouse/partner and the children.
- Payment of the Fixed Fee, Court fees and VAT in advance unless we agree instalment payments. We always ask for fees payable to barristers, translators or interpreters , experts and process servers to be paid in advance.
We reserve the right to withdraw the Fixed Fee Scheme from you or to make an additional hourly charge where we do not receive reasonable and timely instructions from you and for work not included in the fixed fee.
Fixed Costs for special applications to the Court that may be requested by you but are not included in our Fixed Fee
Everyone’s circumstances are different and so our Fixed Fee divorce costs cover the work that we know every couple seeking a divorce or dissolution will require from us. There are additional fixed fee charges for certain services that are not needed by every couple seeking a divorce or dissolution. These are shown below
Please note if you need any of these additional items we will tell you about it before and will let you know why the additional Court application is necessary.
The prices below include VAT and are in addition to the fixed fee (if required by you) :
| Work needed | Solicitors Fixed fee | Court fee * | Other fees |
| Obtain a certified copy of a UK Marriage Certificate | £24.00 | £0.00 | plus Church or Registry Office fee |
| Obtain official translation of a Marriage Certificate | £48.00 | £0.00 | plus the costs of a translator |
| Application to the Court to dispense with the Marriage Certificate or to rely on a photocopy where you cannot find the original | £150.00 | £155.00 | £0.00 |
| Arrange a process server for personal service if your spouse or partner ignores the divorce papers | £60.00 | £110 | or the cost of an enquiry agent |
| Applications to the Court for deemed, substituted service or to dispense with service | £120.00 | £50.00 Per application | £0.00 |
| Amending your divorce petition after it has been lodged at Court | £90.00 | £95.00 | £0.00 |
| Copies of documents and letters that have already been sent to you but you request additional copies | 30p per page | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| All other work not included in the Fixed Fee | charged at our normal hourly rate. | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Taking over a divorce file from another firm of solicitors or where you have been dealing with it yourself | Price on application. | £0.00 | To be advised |
| Dismissal of the divorce petition or rescission of the decree nisi | £60.00 Plus any advocacy costs required | £155.00 | To be advised (if any) |
Note from time to time the Government increases court fees. The above fees are correct as at 1stMarch 2016. If court fees are increased then any increase will be payable by you
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2.3 Fixed-price Legal Consultation
If you are not sure whether you need to start a legal case or simply need clear legal advice that you can trust, we have an easy fixed-fee scheme suitable for anyone who is paying their own legal fees.
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Try our Fixed Fee Detailed Case Assessment.
The assessment lasts for up to one hour either at our office or on the telephone. This costs £150.00 plus vat £30.00 total £180.00 in advance either by credit or debit card over the phone or at our office.
Our Fixed Fee Detailed Case Assessment is one of our most popular services – our clients want expert legal advice at an affordable fixed price. After the assessment you will benefit from clearly understanding your legal position.
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2.4 Hourly Rates for complex cases
For legal cases where legal aid is not available and we do not offer a fixed fee, our charges are very competitive and are calculated on an hourly rate (depending on the experience of the lawyer undertaking the work).
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We will agree legal costs in advance for each stage of your case. We will keep you informed about costs throughout your case and if our estimate has to change for any reason then we will let you know straight away.
We will carefully assess your needs and tailor our services to suit your budget. There are a number of easy payment options including credit cards and monthly instalments and we do not make an additional charge for card processing. We can also agree fixed fees for certain types of work.
If we are not able to price the whole piece of work at the outset, perhaps because it is not yet clear exactly what will be involved, we will agree a pricing arrangement for each stage as soon as we are able to do so. It may be that you will prefer an hourly rate for the initial work and then a fixed fee for the rest once the scope becomes clear. Many combinations are possible, all with the aim of making sure that you get clarity, transparency and a pricing structure you are happy with.
Our charges are based on the time we spend dealing with a case. Depending on who undertakes the work on this matter the following hourly rates will be charged.
| Partner who is an executor | £225.00 |
| Partners & Consultant solicitors | £210.00 |
| Senior Solicitors or CiLex over 8 years qualified | £190.00 |
| Solicitor or CiLex 4-8 years qualified | £180.00 |
| Solicitor or CiLex up to 4 years qualified | £165.00 |
| Qualified cost lawyer & Level 2 Law Society Accredited immigration caseworker | £135.00 |
| Trainee Solicitor / Legal Assistant / para-legal | £115.00 |
- CiLex denotes a Member of Chartered Institute of Legal Executives
Once we fully understand your needs, we will assign your case to the most appropriate member of our team. All work done by the team is ultimately supervised by the Team Leader or one of the other partners in the team. The lawyers in our team are supported by paralegals and other assistants to ensure that your case is handled efficiently and cost-effectively.
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2.5 Legal expenses insurance
Many household and motor insurance policies include cover for legal costs. It may be worth checking your insurance policy before your first appointment to find out if this is an option in your case.