Our Court of Protection Rates
Our Court of Protection rates are set by the government based on the location of the practice. Based in Tunbridge Wells, Kent our rates are National Tier 1, significantly cheaper than London rates – yet we are readily accessible for clients in London and across the South East. Fees are charged base on the hourly rates of the grade(s) of the team providing the work. Our hourly rates for Court of Protection work are:
Grade A: £261, B: £218, C: £178 and D: £126.
A guide to Grades:
Grade A: All partners
Grade B: Senior Associates
Grade C: Trainee Solicitors, Senior Client Administrators, Head of Costs
Grade D: Legal Assistants, Paralegals, Legal PAs, Legal Secretaries, Office Managers, Administrators, Legal Cashiers, Costs Assistants
Court of Protection Fees (From October 2021)
In addition to our own fees, the following fees charged by the Court of Protection may be applicable:
Application fee – £371: payable on making an application to start court proceedings or on making an application for permission to start proceedings.
• Appeal fee – £234: payable on filing an appellants notice appealing a court decision or seeking permission to appeal a court decision.
• Hearing fee – £494: payable where the court has held a hearing to decide the application and has made a final order, declaration or decision.
• Copy of document fee – £5: payable on requesting a copy of a document filed during court proceedings.
Our Standard Rates for All Other Work
Standard Rates for first meeting (includes initial letter of advice):
Senior Partner – £430 + VAT (£516 inc VAT)
Partner – £400 + VAT (£480 inc VAT)
Senior Associate – £315 + VAT (£378 inc VAT)
Associate – £295 + VAT (£354 inc VAT)
Hourly meeting rates thereafter:
Senior Partner – £375 + VAT (£450 inc VAT)
Partner – £325 + VAT (£390 inc VAT)
Senior Associate – £240 + VAT (£288 inc VAT)
Associate – £215 + VAT (£258 inc VAT)
Trainee/ Paralegal – £180 + VAT (£216 inc VAT)
Administrative – £135 + VAT (£162 inc VAT)
Wills
Single Will – £495* + VAT (£594* inc VAT)
Mirror Wills – £750* + VAT (£900* inc VAT)
Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)
Single (Person A) – Property & Finance (PF) OR Health & Welfare (HW): £650* +VAT (£780* inc VAT)
Person A 2 LPAs – PF & HW: £795* + VAT (£954* inc VAT)
Persons A and B – PF or HW each: £950* + VAT (£1140* inc VAT)
Persons A & B – PF & HW each: £995* + VAT (£1194* inc VAT)
Note: The client must pay an additional £82 to the OPG for each LPA
(This price includes storage and certified copies)
*prices presume simple wills and LPAs. More complex cases may involve additional work at standard hourly rates
Probate/Estate Management
With regard to estates where we are asked to deal with the full administration of the estate our hourly rates apply (as set out above). We also offer fixed price grant only applications:
Grant only applications – 4 basic scenarios:
- Application for a grant where there is no inheritance tax to pay and requires completion of IHT205 – £1,395 plus VAT (£1674 inc VAT) plus disbursements;
- Application for a grant where there is no inheritance tax to pay and requires completion of IHT205 and IHT217 to claim the transferable nil rate band – £1,725 plus VAT (£2070 inc VAT) plus disbursements;
- Application for a grant where there is no inheritance tax to pay and requires completion of IHT400 and associated supplements – £2,250 plus VAT (£2700 inc VAT) plus disbursements;
- Application for a grant where the estate is subject to inheritance tax to include completion of IHT400 and associated supplements – £2,785 plus VAT (£3342 inc VAT) plus disbursements;
Expert Witness Work
£425 + VAT (£510 inc VAT) – hourly rate
Prices subject to change. Correct as of 01/01/2023