Lynn
Very expensive
Initially contacted via estate agent to sell house but needed a confirmation certificate as my husband has recently died so spoke to solicitor Stephen Dickson about this. I was told I needed a solicitor for this and yes he could do the work at £180 per hour plus VAT. I wasn’t told how long it was likely to take. The work involved checking phots of 2 page last will which wasn’t signed on first page so not valid. I obtained his previous will from English solicitors. The court form couldn’t have been simpler, needing standard info, name address number number etc and value of assets. It was just the house. I am of the opinion that an efficient, experienced solicitor could have dealt with this in 2 hours. My initial bill was for £2331.00 including £279 court costs, which I refused to pay. Stephen reviewed my bill and came up with almost 4 hours and a bill of £1100+ including £279 court costs. I still believe this is excessive but have very little option but to pay it or pay for a court auditor to review. I would advise anyone using the firm to request a written quote of potential fees before agreeing to use this firm. Also be certain you can’t do the work yourself. I could have done this work myself and feel I should have been given that option in the beginning.
