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Ackroyd Legal

Cost Transparency

Cost Transparency – SRA Transparency Guidelines.

As per the recent guidelines set by the SRA. All legal firms must showcase their fee structure based on the service provided to the client.

Below is a fee guideline of our set services.

Employment Tribunal cases – claims for unfair and wrongful dismissal

TEAM

The team which is solely based in our London office is supervised by a Senior Solicitor and Head of Employment Law, Bryony Palmer along with other fee earners and support staff.  

You will have a dedicated person who will be responsible for your case and who will be supported by team colleagues.

OUR FEES

There are three main elements to the legal fees that you will incur in relation to employment tribunal cases:

  • Our fees;
  • Expenses we must pay out of your behalf; and
  • Costs that you may have to pay another party.

The amount we charge depends on a number of different factors such complexity and value. We charge clients based on the amount of time that we spend on a matter. The hourly rate will depend on the seniority of the lawyer acting on your matter and also how complex the work is. Our typical hourly rates range from £275 per hour + VAT for a Senior Solicitors to £300 per hour + VAT for a Partner.

However every case is different and we encourage you to contact us to discuss your circumstances as we may be able to consider an alternative method of funding such as legal expenses insurance or a damages-based agreement. We sometimes agree fixed fees for different stages of a matter if appropriate for your case.

Expenses (disbursements)

Even where our charges are fixed, you may also have to pay some expenses in addition. For example, a barrister’s fees, court fees or fees for an expert witness. We will usually notify you of the amount of these expenses before they are incurred.

Costs you may have to pay another party  

Costs do not usually follow the event in the Employment Tribunal which means that even if you win, you will usually have to pay your own legal fees. There are a few circumstances when the Employment Tribunal will award costs and it is possible that either you or the other party can apply for a costs order from the Employment Tribunal.

Overall Costs

We estimate that the total cost to bring or defend a case in the Employment Tribunal will be approximately:

  • £20,000 – £25,000 + VAT for an ordinary unfair dismissal case.
  • £25,000 – £50,000 + VAT for a complex case such as automatic unfair dismissal involving discrimination.

This estimate includes our professional charges and disbursements (for example, a barrister’s costs and photocopying costs). An Employment Tribunal case can become more complicated and this will increase our legal fees. For example, the ‘estimated total legal costs’ does not include defending applications brought by your opponent – this would increase cost and we would notify you about this before incurring additional fees. Additionally, if you make a claim and the employer argues that you are self-employed or if there are jurisdictional issues that need to be dealt with, this will also affect our fees and is not included in the ‘estimated total legal costs’.

We also point out that in the majority of cases a settlement is reached before trial, which would reduce the overall cost. If you instruct us you will be proved with a tailored quotation for your case in our client care letter / terms of business.

What are the key stages of an Employment Tribunal?  

The key stages are as follows and are included in the estimated overall legal costs:

  • Taking your initial instructions and reviewing the initial documentation that you send to us.
  • Doing a ‘case assessment’ where we will send you a letter of advice on the strengths and weaknesses of your case.
  • Negotiating with your employer through ACAS after you have submitted the ACAS early conciliation notification.
  • Drafting the claim form (ET1) or response (ET3).
  • Preparing a schedule of loss or responding to the claimant’s schedule of loss with a counter schedule of loss.
  • Liaising with counsel, agreeing a list of issues, reviewing the documentation, preparing a bundle for the preliminary hearing and preparing for the preliminary hearing.
  • Attending the preliminary hearing and discussing the outcome with you.
  • Advising you on your disclosure obligations, reviewing the documents that you will disclose and submitting the disclosure documents to the other side.
  • Preparing the bundle of documents to give to the other parties and the employment tribunal.
  • Preparing witness statements and advising on the witness statements provided by the other side.
  • Agreeing and preparing a bundle for the final hearing.
  • Liaising with the barrister in relation to the final hearing, reviewing the documentation in relation to the final hearing and attending the final hearing.

Likely timescale 

A simple Employment Tribunal case is likely to take 12-18 months from start to finish, if the matter goes to trial (this is largely dependent on how busy the Tribunal is). However as stated above Employment Tribunal cases often settle and can be resolved before the full hearing.

Immigration

TEAM

The team at 16 Prescot Street, London, E1 8AZ is led by Sue Chana and supervised by, Markus Malik and comprises of solicitors and/or other fee earners.

You will have a dedicated person who will be responsible for your case and who will be supported by team colleagues.

OUR FEES

Immigration work can be cross-border, multi-jurisdictional, and complex. As we offer tailored and bespoke services, the fees outlined below are for guidance only.

Costs

Our estimated fees below are provided on the basis of one applicant without any applications for dependent family members. Multiple applicants may be charged at different rates. We tailor our fees to our client’s circumstances and take into account matters such as compliance with the relevant immigration rules, prior adverse immigration history, provision of documents and instructions in a timely manner, the urgency of the matter, and discretionary aspects.

Appeal and Administrative review costs are not included in the fees.

We usually charge on a fixed fee basis. Our hourly rates range from £1000 to £1,500 fixed fee not including disbursements i.e counsel fees

Our immigration team can assist with all types of UK immigration applications. If a particular application or service is not listed below, please do not hesitate to contact our immigration team for a quote.

Tier 1 (Investor)  

Our fees will typically range from £1000 – £1,500 plus VAT excluding application fees and Health Surcharge fees depending on whether the application is an initial grant or an extension application. Applicants will also need to pay for costs such as the Home Office application fees, biometric appointment fees, Immigration Health Surcharge fees, and any required translation or courier costs.

Innovator/Start up visas

Our fees will typically range from £2,500 – £5,000 plus VAT depending on whether the application is an initial grant or an extension application. Applicants will also need to pay for costs such as the Home Office application fees, biometric appointment fees, Immigration Health Surcharge fees, and any required translation or courier costs.

Global Talent visa

Our fees will typically range from £2,500 – £5,000 plus VAT depending on whether the application is an initial grant or an extension application. Applicants will also need to pay for costs such as the Home Office application fees, biometric appointment fees, Immigration Health Surcharge fees, and any required translation or courier costs.

Turkish Businessperson visa

Our fees will typically range from £2,000 – £4,000 plus VAT depending on whether the application is an initial grant or an extension application. Applicants will also need to pay for costs such as the biometric appointment fees and any required translation or courier costs.

Appendix Skilled Worker route now

We usually charge between £2,000 – £2,500 plus VAT depending on whether the application is an initial grant or an extension application and the reasons for the extension. Applicants will also need to pay for costs such as the Home Office application fees, biometric appointment fees, Immigration Health Surcharge fees, and any required translation or courier costs.

Our fees do not cover matters such as assisting the applicant’s Sponsor with work required for the assignment of a Certificate of Sponsorship. Should this be required, we would be happy to assist and can provide the Sponsor with a quote as necessary.

Intra company routes

We usually charge between £1,750 – £2,500 plus VAT depending on whether the application is an initial grant or an extension application and the reasons for the extension. Applicants will also need to pay for costs such as the Home Office application fees, biometric appointment fees, Immigration Health Surcharge fees, and any required translation or courier costs.

Our fees do not cover matters such as assisting the applicant’s Sponsor with work required for the assignment of a Certificate of Sponsorship. Should this be required, we would be happy to assist and can provide the Sponsor with a quote as necessary.

Appendix Student/Child Student

We usually charge between £1,750 – £2,500 plus VAT depending on whether the application is an initial grant or an extension application and the reasons for the extension. Applicants will also need to pay for costs such as the Home Office application fees, biometric appointment fees, Immigration Health Surcharge fees, and any required translation or courier costs.

Our fees do not cover matters such as assisting the applicant’s Sponsor with work required for the assignment of a Certificate of Acceptance. Should this be required, we would be happy to assist and can provide the Sponsor with a quote as necessary.

Temporary Worker Routes

We usually charge between £1,750- £2,500 plus VAT depending on whether the application is an initial grant or an extension application and the reasons for the extension. Applicants will also need to pay for costs such as the Home Office application fees, biometric appointment fees, Immigration Health Surcharge fees, and any required translation or courier costs.

Our fees do not cover matters such as assisting the applicant’s Sponsor with work required for the assignment of a Certificate of Sponsorship. Should this be required, we would be happy to assist and can provide the Sponsor with a quote as necessary.

Ancestry visa

Our fees will typically range from £1,750- £2,500 plus VAT depending on whether the application is an initial grant or an extension application. Applicants will also need to pay for costs such as the Home Office application fees, biometric appointment fees, Immigration Health Surcharge fees, and any required translation or courier costs.

Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner of British national or settled person visa

Our fees will typically range from £1000 – £1,500 plus VAT. Applicants will also need to pay for costs such as the Home Office application fees, biometric appointment fees, and any required translation or courier costs.

Spouse, Civil Partner, Unmarried Partner or Child of British national or settled person (five-year route to settlement)

Our fees will typically range from £1,000 – £1,500 plus VAT. Applicants will also need to pay for costs such as the Home Office application fees, biometric appointment fees, Immigration Health Surcharge fees, and any required translation or courier costs.

Dependant Adult Relative

Our fees will typically range from £1,000 – £1,500 plus VAT. Applicants will also need to pay for costs such as the Home Office application fees, biometric appointment fees, Immigration Health Surcharge fees, and any required translation or courier costs.

Standard Visitor

Our fees will typically range from £1,000 – £1,500 plus VAT depending on the category of standard visitor visa. Applicants will also need to pay for costs such as the Home Office application fees, biometric appointment fees, and any required translation or courier costs. 

Domestic Worker Visitor

Our fees will typically range from £1,000 – £1,500 plus VAT depending on the Applicant’s and their employer’s circumstances. Applicants will also need to pay for costs such as the Home Office application fees, biometric appointment fees and any required translation or courier costs.

Indefinite Leave to Remain following five years in the UK

We usually charge between £1,000 – £1,500 plus VAT. Applicants will also need to pay for costs such as the Home Office application fees, biometric appointment fees, and any required translation or courier costs.

Indefinite Leave to Remain following 10 years in the UK

We usually charge between £1,000 – £1,500 plus VAT. Applicants will also need to pay for costs such as the Home Office application fees, biometric appointment fees, and any required translation or courier costs.

Naturalization as a British Citizen

We usually charge between £1,000 – £1,500 plus VAT. Applicants will also need to pay for costs such as the Home Office application fees, biometric appointment fees, and any required translation or courier costs.

Registration as a British Citizen

We usually charge between £1,000 – £1,500 plus VAT. Applicants will also need to pay for costs such as the Home Office application fees, biometric appointment fees, and any required translation or courier costs.

Disbursements

These are costs payable to a third party such as the Home Office. Disbursements can include Immigration Health Surcharges, Application fees, premium service fees, Court fees, Counsel fees, and country expert and/or interpreters fees.

Please do contact us for an obligation-free but case-specific quote.

The information above is provided for illustration purposes only and to help clients understand how we charge for our services. Please do call us to discuss your specific circumstances. If you instruct us, you will be provided with a detailed quotation in our client care letter which sets out the terms and conditions of our relationship.

Uncontested Probate Work

When someone passes away it is often necessary to obtain a Grant of Representation to obtain the authority to deal with the deceased’s assets and liabilities whether or not a Will had been made.

Instructing a solicitor with specialist knowledge of the process required to wind up an estate can help you at this difficult time. We can obtain the Grant on your behalf and will also be able to collect in and distribute the assets to beneficiaries and assist with any other matters that arise in relation to the estate and any ongoing trust.

Our team of experts:

The team comprises Bryony Palmer, Ali Ebrahim & Aliosman Halil who are all qualified solicitors based at 16 Prescot Street, London, E1 8AZ who have extensive experience of administering estates as well as dealing with all other areas of Private Client practice. [Ali Ebrahim] who heads the team. You can therefore be sure that your matter will be in safe and capable hands.

What are the legal costs?

We aim to offer competitive fees for high-quality advice and work. The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter, as outlined below. The fee estimates shown below apply to uncontested estates only. An uncontested estate is defined as an estate where there is no dispute as to the validity of the Will, between the beneficiaries on the division of assets and that there are no claims being made against the estate.

Work carried out by Ali Ebrahim will be charged on the basis of their hourly charging rate of £250 (excluding VAT). Work carried out by Aliosman Halil will be charged at the rate of £300 (excluding VAT) per hour. 

It may be possible to agree on a fixed fee for administering a simple estate and this could typically range between £1,500 and £3,500 (excluding VAT)depending on the circumstances of the estate and the seniority and experience of the person responsible for the work.

An example of a simple uncontested estate is one where:

    • There is a valid will or there is no will, but it is not necessary to

trace beneficiaries under intestacy.

    • All assets and liabilities are held in the UK;
    • The deceased was UK domiciled;
    • There is no more than one property;
    • There are bank accounts held with no more than 5 banks;
    • If there are shares these are held with one registrar;
    • There are no more than 6 beneficiaries and they are all identifiable and traceable, and no trust is required (such as for a minor or vulnerable person);
    • There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full inheritance tax account to HMRC.

What does this fee include?

You will be provided with a dedicated and experienced private client solicitor who will see the process through from start to finish. Their professional service will include the following:

    • Identifying the executors or administrators and the type of Grant required;
    • Notifying the institutions holding assets and obtaining the required documents and asset valuations;
    • Completing the return of estate information form;
    • Drafting the statement of truth for you;
    • Making the application to the Probate Registry on your behalf;
    • Obtaining the Grant and sending this to the institutions;
    • Collecting the assets, attending to the institutions’ requirements, and paying any liabilities.
    • Preparing the estate administration accounts for your approval; and
    • Distributing all assets in the estate to the entitled beneficiaries.

Are there any additional costs? 

OUR FEES

AMOUNT

OTHER COSTS

Probate application fee:

£155

£1.50 for each additional sealed copy of the Grant

Land Registry title documents:

£3 per title document

 

London Gazette and local paper Notices (protect trustees against unknown creditor claims):

£62.15 – 366.15 (plus VAT)

 

Property valuations by a RICS qualified surveyor (estimate):

£450 (plus VAT)

 

Asset search for any missing assets:

£135 (plus VAT)

 

National Will Register search:

£38 – 95 (plus VAT)

 

Disbursements will be payable to third parties in addition to our fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. The potential third party costs are as follows:

How long does the process take?

  • On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 4-6 months from taking instructions to closing our file. The time it takes to obtain the information required to prepare the probate application often takes 2-6 weeks. This depends both on the assets held in the estate, the efficiency of third parties in responding to us, and on how promptly the executors are able to liaise with us and sign documents. Typically, obtaining the Grant (once the application has been sent to the Registry) takes 3-6 weeks. Collecting in the assets then follows, which can take up to 8 weeks depending on the assets involved.
  • Finalising and approving the estate accounts and distributing the assets to the beneficiaries can then take up to 4 weeks.
  • If there is a property to sell, then the process will take longer to finalise and be dependent on the property market. There will also be a separate charge for acting on your behalf in connection with the sale of any property and this will be confirmed with you by a solicitor in our conveyancing team prior to any work being undertaken.

What if my matter is more complicated?

If a full inheritance tax account is required or there are other reasons why the estate is more complicated, our hourly charging rates will apply and the costs will depend on the complexity and the work which needs to be completed. It is important to provide us with as much information about the estate as you can at the outset so that we can try to provide as accurate an estimate of our costs as possible prior to commencing work.

Possible complications include:

    • Multiple beneficiaries, including those that are charitable, resident overseas, under 18 and/or vulnerable;
    • One or more of the beneficiaries cannot be located, whether under a will or an Intestacy;
    • There is more than one property, a life interest in a property, and/or investment properties;
    • Inheritance tax is payable;
    • An application for the Residence Nil Rate Band inheritance tax relief is required;
    • A trust is created in the Will, or arises in respect of a minor beneficiary;
    • There are shareholdings with more than one share registrar
    • A deed of variation is being entered into to vary the beneficial entitlements;
    • The estate has an international element, for example: the deceased was non-UK domiciled or there is a query over their domicile status or owned assets in another jurisdiction.

What if I want to do some of the work myself? 

  • If you would like to obtain valuations of all the assets and liabilities in the estate and to deal with the administration of the estate yourself but would like us to prepare and submit an application for the grant of representation on your behalf, then provided that a full inheritance tax account is not required and we do not have to communicate with any third parties other than the Probate Registry, the work would be carried out at a fixed fee of between £1,250 (excluding VAT) and £1,750 (excluding VAT) if it is not necessary to transfer an inheritance tax allowance from the deceased’s spouse. If it is also necessary to apply for the transfer of an unused inheritance tax allowance from the deceased’s spouse, the cost would be £1,500 plus VAT.
  • As part of this fixed fee we would: 
    • Identify the type of grant required and the documentation required to enable us to complete the paperwork to apply for the grant
    • Complete the return of estate information form;
    • Draft the statement of truth for you;
    • Complete any necessary form to transfer the inheritance tax allowance of the deceased’s spouse
    • Make the application to the Probate Registry on your behalf;
    • Send you the grant of representation.
  • If any additional work is required, there would be additional cost

Residential Conveyancing

TEAMS

Our office at 16 Prescot Street, London, E1 8AZ, which has a team carrying out conveyancing.

The team at 16 Prescot Street, London, E1 8AZ is supervised by Peter Benjamin

You will have a dedicated person who will be responsible for your case and who will be supported by team colleagues.

OUR FEES

Our fees for conveyancing services will depend on the value of the property and the degree of complexity. We offer good value for quality work and service.

Residential Property sales and purchases.

Our fees will range from £450 plus vat at the lower end of the scale to, for example, £2,000 plus vat for purchase of £2,000,000. Some examples are given below but please do contact us without obligation us for a specific quotation tailored to the particular work involved. The more information we have about the transaction the more accurate we can be.

Our fees will include:

Purchase

  • Dealing with identity requirements and other compliance
  • Reviewing title and information supplied by the seller
  • Carrying out searches and enquires
  • Reporting to you on the transaction
  • Acting for your mortgage lender
  • Dealing with exchange of contracts
  • Preparing for and dealing with completion
  • Dealing with your Stamp Duty Land Tax Return and payment
  • Registration at land Registry

Sale

  • Dealing with identity requirements and other compliance
  • Preparing sale contract and documentation
  • Dealing with purchaser enquires
  • Dealing with exchange of contracts
  • Preparing for and dealing with completion
  • Paying off existing mortgage and accounting to you for sale monies ( if there are multiple charges or restrictions to be redeemed we may charge additional fees depending on the work involved)

Remortgage

  • Dealing with identity requirements and other compliance
  • Reviewing mortgage offer and conditions and dealing with requirements of the lender
  • Preparing mortgage documentation
  • Preparing for and dealing with completion
  • Paying off existing mortgage and accounting to you for sale monies
  • Completing the remortgage and registering at Land Registry

Non-standard transactions

We may charge different fees for cases that have particular features or complications. For example:

  • Auction purchase. Typical additional charge will be 25% of our usual fee
  • Unregistered title Registration of tile. Typical additional charge will be 25% of our usual fee.
  • New build properties. Typical additional charge will be 25% of our usual fee.
  • Islamic mortgage. Typical additional charge will be 25% of our usual fee.
  • Help to buy. Supplement £150 plus vat
  • Help to Buy ISA. £50.00 plus vat
  • Shared ownership. Supplement £250 plus vat
  • Purchase of repossessed property. Typical additional charge will be 25% of our usual fee.
  • Lease extensions and variations. Fees dependent on terms and complexity.
  • Buy to let mortgages by specialist lenders
  • Overseas identity requirements (£250 to £500 plus vat)
  • Documentation for Gifts of deposits (typically £150 plus vat)
  • Dealing with defective titles

Some example cases are provided below

Example for a leasehold purchase of a flat for £350,000 by a first time buyer

OUR FEES

AMOUNT

VAT

Our fee for acting in leasehold purchase of £350,000

£700

£140

Other Costs

  

Bank transfer fee (to complete)

£35

£7

Completing Land Transaction Return

£100

£20

 

£835

£167

   

DISBURSEMENTS

AMOUNT

VAT

Searches (indicative cost; amount varies per Local Authority)

£299

n/a

Land Registry Priority Searches

£4

n/a

Bankruptcy Search per person

£3

n/a

Stamp Duty Land Tax (assuming you have never previously owned a property)

£2,500

n/a

Land Registry Fee

£135

n/a

Check on the seller’s solicitor’s bank account (Lawyer Checker)

£14

n/a

Electronic ID checks (per person)

£20

n/a

Fee payable to landlord to record change of ownership (this is very variable depending on the lease)

£TBC

TBC

Chancel policy (to protect against any potential liability under ancient laws to contribute to church repair)

£35

n/a

 

£3,010

£

   

TOTAL

AMOUNT

VAT

OUR FEES

AMOUNT

VAT

Our fee for acting in freehold remortgage of £350,000

£475

£95

Other Costs

  

Bank transfer fee (to complete)

£35

£7

Bank transfer fee (to redeem mortgage)

£35

£7

 

£545

£109

   

DISBURSEMENTS

AMOUNT

VAT

Searches indemnity policy (if lender allows, this will be less than the cost of searches)

£60

n/a

Land Registry Priority Search

£4

n/a

Bankruptcy Search

£3

n/a

Land Registry Fee

£40

n/a

Electronic ID checks (per person)

£20

n/a

 

£127

 
   

TOTAL

AMOUNT

VAT

 

£672

£109

£3,845

£167

Freehold remortgage of freehold house with redemption of existing mortgage

Other information

This information is provided for illustration purposes and to help clients understand how we charge for our services. Please do discuss your circumstances. If you instruct us you will be provided with a tailored quotation in our client care letter / terms of business which will set out our relationship.