You will find below information about our fees in respect of the following work types:

Debt Recovery

These costs apply where your claim is in relation to an unpaid invoice which is not disputed and enforcement action is not needed. If the other party disputes your claim at any point, we will discuss any further work required and provide you with revised advice about costs which could be on a fixed fee or an hourly rate if more extensive work is needed.

Debt Value	Court Fee	Our fee (ex VAT)	Total (Court fee, our Fee plus VAT)
Up to £5,000	£205	£399	£683.80
£5,001 – £10,000	£455	£499	£1,053.80
£10,001 – unlimited	5% value of the claim but not exceeding £10,000	£599

Anyone wishing to proceed with a claim should note that:

• You are only entitled to recover a fixed contribution towards your costs if payment is made following service of proceedings (varying between £70 – £100 depending on the amount claimed).
• Interest and compensation may take the debt into a higher banding, with a higher costs.
• Where appropriate, proceedings that are issued will include a claim for interest and compensation pursuant to the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

The costs quoted above are not for matters where enforcement action, such as the bailiff is needed to collect your debt.

Our fee includes:

• Taking your instructions and reviewing documentation
• Undertaking appropriate searches
• Sending a letter before action requiring a response in 7 days
• Receiving payment and sending onto you, or if there is no response and upon your further instructions and issuing County Court proceedings. It can take the Court up to 3 weeks to issue and serve proceedings.
• Where no Acknowledgment of Service or Defence is filed by the debtor applying to the court to enter Judgment in default and informing you and seeking instructions on

This work will be carried out by Jacqueline Deeming, Darryl Barnes or Philip Morris

The Partner responsible for their work is Claire Kirwan. 

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Employment

When either bringing or defending a claim for unfair dismissal or wrongful dismissal the exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. Julia Woodhouse has over 20 years of experience dealing with employment issues and will approach each case on its merits and advise on the prospects of success after reviewing the relevant documentation. His hourly rate is £230 plus VAT. You can view Julia Woodhouse’s profile here

There are number of factors which are outlined below which will have an impact on the costs of bringing or defending claims and in many cases a claim will be resolved by agreement directly between the parties or using ACAS before a matter reaches the Employment Tribunal.

We can work with you to plan the most cost-effective way of dealing with your matter including providing you with the option of experienced Solicitors and Legal Executives who will be able to advise you on the costs of your matter and the likely work involved.

We have a team of support staff supporting our fee earners but you will be given a point of contact, who will oversee your matter from start to finish who you will be in direct contact with from start to finish.

Often claims do not end up in the Employment Tribunal and where it is possible (and appropriate to do so) to settle before any proceedings are issued then those costs could range from £1,500 in the simpler cases to £5,000 in the more complex cases.

If the matter does goes to the Tribunal costs will therefore vary depending on the simplicity and complexity of the claims and can range from £5,000-£10,000 (excluding VAT) in the simplest of cases (although where the matter is straightforward it could be less than this) up to extremely complex cases which require a significant amount of work in which case costs could be between £25,000-£50,000 excluding VAT). For claims that fall between these extremes then costs could be in the region of £10,000-£25,000 (excluding VAT).

Factors that could make a case more complex:

• If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim
• Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person
• Making or defending a costs application
• Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties)
• The number of witnesses and documents
• If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. if you are dismissed after blowing the whistle on your employer
• Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal

There will be an additional charge for attending a Tribunal Hearing of £1,380 per day (excluding VAT). Generally, we would allow 1-7 days depending on the complexity of your case.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Counsel’s fees estimated between £850 to £3,000 per day (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation)

Key stages

The fees set out above where a Tribunal claim has been lodged cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:

Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on merits and likely compensation (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change)

• Entering into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached;
• Preparing claim or response
• Reviewing and advising on claim or response from other party
• Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process
• preparing or considering a schedule of loss
• Preparing for (and attending) a Preliminary Hearing
• Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents
• Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses
• preparing bundle of documents
• Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements
• agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list
• Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing, including instructions to Counsel

The stages set out above are an indication and if some of stages above are not required, the fee will be reduced. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged on your individual needs. You may also wish to consider whether you have legal expenses insurance which may cover the advice.

How long will my matter take?

The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take 2-6 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 26-52 weeks. This is just an estimate and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.

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Probate

Here at Blythe Liggins we price each matter on the individual circumstances of the case and will offer you an initial free half hour meeting so that we can discuss your individual circumstances and the amount of involvement you would like to instruct us to have.

We will provide you with experienced Solicitors and Legal Executives who will be able to meet with you face to face and advise you on the costs of your matter and the likely work involved.

We have a team of support staff supporting our fee earners but each matter will be led by an experienced fee earner who you will be in direct contact with from start to finish.

As a guide, we are usually instructed to assist with registering the death with any asset holders to ascertain the value of the estate for inheritance tax and probate purposes. We will then prepare the application for the grant of probate and once the grant is received will collect in the assets and distribute the estate. This will take between 8 and 20 hours work at a maximum of £250 plus VAT per hour. Total costs estimated at £2,000-£5,000 plus VAT.

The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end and may exceed this figure. You will be notified at the outset if this is the case.

We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:

• There is a valid will
• There is no more than one property
• There are no more than 5 bank or building society accounts
• There are no other intangible assets
• There are between 2-4 beneficiaries
• There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
• There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
• There are no claims made against the estate
• There are no trusts in the Will

Likely additional disbursements not included in this fee:

• Probate application fee of £155
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary)
• £62 plus VAT to post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
• £185 plus VAT to post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

During the initial meeting we will establish what potential additional costs there might be and will provide you with a quote and our terms of engagement letter before proceeding.

The additional costs might include:

• If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there is likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending on the estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information.
• If we are required to register the death and/or arrange the funeral.
• If we are required to arrange property insurance
• If we are required to arrange the clearance of the property
• If we are required to liaise with utility providers in respect of the property
• Advising in relation to a trust in the Will
• If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £1.50 per copy (1 per asset usually).
• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.
• If the estate is taxable

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 12 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 12 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 4-6 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally take 3 weeks although executors will be advised not to distribute for 6 months from the date of the Grant of Probate.

If you require any further information on the way we charge, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our team via the website.

The Probate team is led by Donna Bothamley and includes Paul England and Jessica McDonnell.

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Residential Property – Purchase

Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the purchase of your new home, including dealing with registration at the Land Registry and dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) if the property is in England or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property you wish to buy is in Wales.

You can get an instant quote for our fees and disbursements by clicking here:

 

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as search fees and Land Registry fees. Please note that these can vary according to the location and value of the property. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Stamp Duty or Land Tax (on purchase)

This depends on the purchase price of your property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC’s website or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website here.

How long will my house purchase take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move in to your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 8 and 10 weeks.

It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are a first time buyer, purchasing a new build property with a mortgage in principle, it could take 4 to 6 weeks. However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between 2 and 6 months. In such a situation, additional charges would apply.

Stages of the process

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. However, below we have suggested some key stages that would usually apply:

• Take your instructions and give you initial advice
• Check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact lender’s solicitors if needed
• Receive and advise on contract documents
• Carry out searches
• Obtain further planning documentation if required
• Make any necessary enquiries of seller’s solicitor
• Give you advice on all documents and information received
• Go through conditions of mortgage offer with you
• Send final contract to you for signature
• Agree completion date (date from which you own the property)
• Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
• Prepare the form of transfer of the property to you and obtain your signature to it and to your lender’s mortgage deed (if any)
• Carry out pre-completion checks and searches
• Arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you
• Complete purchase
• Deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax
• Deal with application for registration at Land Registry

Purchase of a leasehold residential property

Please use our online calculator above to obtain your quote. There may be additional expenses such as fees payable to a freeholder or management company to notify them of your purchase and (if applicable) mortgage of the property, a fee for entering into a deed of covenant with a freeholder or management company and a certificate of compliance fee (the amount of which fees will vary from case to case):

• Notice of Transfer fee – This fee if chargeable is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £60 and £180 including VAT.
• Notice of Charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged) – This fee is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £60 and £180 including VAT.
• Deed of Covenant fee – This fee is provided by the management company for the property and can be difficult to estimate. Often it is between Often the fee is between £60 and £180 including VAT.
• Certificate of Compliance fee – To be confirmed upon receipt of the lease, as can again range between £60 and £180 including VAT.

Please note that these fees vary from property to property and can on occasion be significantly more than the ranges given above. We can give you an accurate figure once we have sight of your specific documents.

You should also be aware that ground rent and service charge are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. We will confirm the ground rent and the anticipated service charge as soon as this we receive this information.

Our fee assumes that:

• this is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction
• this is the assignment of an existing lease and is not the grant of a new lease
• the transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complication arise
• all parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation
• no indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are required.

Potential additional fees in any case

If you require any of the following additional services, you will be charged additional fees as follows:

Declaration of Trust £150 plus VAT (total £180)

Title or other Indemnity Policy £50 plus VAT (total £60) in addition to the one-off policy premium.

The experienced Blythe Liggins residential conveyancing team is led by David Lester who is a Partner with more than 30 years experience and includes Casey Smith and Helen Thomas.

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Residential Property – Sale

Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the sale of your home.

You can get an instant quote for our fees and disbursements by clicking here:

 

How long will my house sale take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you complete the sale of your home will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 8 and 10 weeks. It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain.

Stages of the process

The precise stages involved in the sale of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. However, below we have suggested some key stages that would usually apply:

• Take your instructions and give you initial advice
• Obtain copies of the title to your property and any related documents from the Land Registry
• Complete information questionnaires about the property
• Draft contract documents
• Respond to any additional enquiries from the buyer’s conveyancer
• Send final contract to you for signature
• Agree completion date (date on which you transfer ownership of the property)
• Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
• Obtain a statement from your mortgage lender of the amount required to redeem your mortgage (if any)
• Reply to the buyer’s pre-completion questionnaire
• Obtain your signature to the transfer of the property to the buyer
• Complete the sale and redeem your mortgage (if any)
• Obtain from your mortgage lender and send to the buyer’s conveyancer a Land Registry discharge of your mortgage

Sale of a leasehold residential property

Please use our online calculator above to obtain your quote. There may be additional expenses such as fees payable to a freeholder or management company to obtain from them a pack of information and questionnaire replies to provide to your buyer. These fees can vary from £60 to as much as £360, depending on their standard charges for such information.

Our fee assumes that:

• this is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction
• this is the assignment of an existing lease and is not the grant of a new lease
• the transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complication arise
• all parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation
• no indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are required.

Potential additional fees in any case

If you require any of the following additional services, you will be charged additional fees as follows:

Title or other Indemnity Policy £50 plus VAT (total £60) in addition to the one-off policy premium.

The experienced Blythe Liggins residential conveyancing team is led by David Lester who is a Partner with more than 30 years experience and includes Helen Thomas and Helen Thomas.

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Residential Property – Re-mortgage

Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the remortgage of your home, including dealing with registration at the Land Registry and liaising with your existing mortgage lender over the redemption and release of your existing mortgage.

You can get an instant quote for our fees and disbursements by clicking here:

 

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as search fees and Land Registry fees. Please note that these can vary according to the location and value of the property and whether the property is freehold or leasehold. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

How long will my remortgage take?

How long it will take from your new mortgage offer being received until you complete your remortgage will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 3 and 6 weeks, one factor being how long the property searches take to be processed by the relevant authority.

Stages of the process

The precise stages involved in the remortgage of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. However, below we have suggested some key stages that would usually apply:

• Take your instructions and give you initial advice
• Obtain copies of the title to your property and any related documents from the Land Registry
• Complete information questionnaires about the property
• Carry out searches
• Obtain further planning documentation if required
• Make any necessary further enquiries of you
• Go through conditions of mortgage offer with you
• Obtain your signature to the mortgage deed
• Agree completion date
• Obtain a statement from your existing mortgage lender of the amount required to redeem your mortgage
• Submit a report on title and request for the mortgage funds to your new mortgage lender
• Complete the remortgage and redeem your existing mortgage
• Obtain from your existing mortgage lender a Land Registry discharge of your existing mortgage
• Deal with application for registration of the new mortgage and the discharge of the existing mortgage at Land Registry
• Serve notice of mortgage on your landlord or management company (if a leasehold property)

Potential additional fees in any case

If you require any of the following additional services, you will be charged additional fees as follows:

Title or other Indemnity Policy £50 plus VAT (total £60) in addition to the one-off policy premium.

The experienced Blythe Liggins residential conveyancing team is led by David Lester who is a Partner with more than 30 years experience and Helen Thomas.

 

Client Interest

Client funds are held by Blythe Liggins either pooled with other client funds in our general client account or (exceptionally) in a separate client account designated with the name of a particular client. Interest earned on sums deposited in a designated account belongs to the client for whom such funds are held. Interest earned on sums held in our general client account belongs to the firm.

In accordance with the Solicitors Accounts Rules 2019, it is our policy to account to our clients for a gross sum payment in lieu of interest (Interest) on money held by us in our general client account when and to the extent that it is fair and reasonable to do so. The holding by us of client money is incidental to the carrying out of our clients’ legal instructions. In all cases we are required to keep client money safe and in most cases we must ensure that money held on client account is immediately available and therefore held in an instant access account that allows us to make an immediate withdrawal. All of this is taken into account when we set our Interest rates and as a result you are unlikely to receive as much Interest as you might have obtained had you held and deposited the money yourself.

We align the sums that we pay to clients by way of Interest to the rates paid on an instant access business deposit account with National Westminster Bank PLC. These rates are varied from time to time.

Where amounts are held outside of our general client account, the rate of interest and date interest is paid will be dependent on the relevant account in which funds are held and is outside the scope of this policy.

Interest on general client money is calculated on cleared funds on a daily basis and generally credited quarterly to the client’s account with the firm. Balances held on separate files are not aggregated for the purposes of calculating Interest or the de minimis limit mentioned in the following paragraph. We will usually account to you for such Interest when your matter comes to an end. Interest will be paid to you without deduction for income tax – as such, it is your responsibility to inform HM Revenue & Customs of such sums you receive from us.

In the event that the calculated aggregate Interest accruing on funds held in respect of a matter amounts to £50 or less then no Interest will be paid. We consider that the administrative cost of dealing with sums below that level would exceed the amount payable.

On occasions, interest may accrue on client monies held by us pending the completion of a conveyancing or commercial property transaction, whether in respect of sums received from the client or from a mortgage lender. Our fees quoted in such transactions are given on the basis that any interest that may accrue on such funds will be retained by us and we take this into account when setting the level of our charges. Accordingly, we will not pay Interest on such monies save in exceptional circumstances.

We are not required to pay interest on money held:

– if there is an agreement to contract out of the provisions of this policy

– for payment of a professional disbursement once counsel or other professional has requested a delay in settlement

– by way of an advance from us into our general client account to fund a payment on your behalf in excess of funds already held for you in that account.

If the bank in which the firm holds funds should fail, we reserve the right to disclose to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme the names and other details of clients whose money is held there in order to assist those of our clients who may qualify to claim compensation up to the applicable limit.

We will not be liable to you or any third party for any loss or damage suffered as a result of any act, omission, fraud, delay, negligence, insolvency or default of any bank, financial institution, clearing or payments system nor that of the directors, officers, employees, agents or representatives of any of the foregoing. We will not pay Interest to you where we are prevented by law from so doing for whatever reason and we will have no liability for such non-payment.

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For further information on fees contact us by email, telephone or even letter.

The central email address is info@blytheliggins.co.uk