ABOUT ALFRED JAMES & CO SOLICITORS LLP
Our team has many years of combined experience in delivering high quality work in all matters relating to Probate and the processes that take place after someone has died.
The legal process that we usually assist with includes proving in court that a deceased person’s will is valid, identifying and inventorying the deceased person’s property, having the property appraised, paying debts and taxes and distributing the remaining property as the will directs.
We have three members of the team who may work on your matter. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by our Senior Partner.
Our Probate Team Includes:
Adedeji Sijuwade
Senior Partner
deji.sijuwade@alfred-james.com
Connect with Adedeji
Deji is the Managing and Senior Partner of our firm with over 20 years’ experience in private client work, specialising in Housing, Landlord & Tenant, Immigration, Personal Injury and International Commercial Transactions and Business Law.
Deji has been working in these areas since he qualified and has helped thousands of families and individuals with his wealth of legal experience, such as assisting to successfully overturn an appeal at the Court of Appeal on the matter of Williams v Central Bank of Nigeria, with regards to a Chancery matter relating to Breach of Trust – further details can be found here.
Deji is a member of the Law Society of England and Wales and a Member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.
Education: Thames Valley University 2000 LL.B (Hons), Legal Practice Course University of Hertfordshire 2004
Year of Qualification: 2006
Omowunmi Morohundiya
Solicitor
o.morohundiya@alfred-james.com
Omowunmi qualified as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 2005. She attended The University of Buckingham. She has a wide range of Legal Professional experience in both the Public and Private Sectors having worked extensively with various local Authorities and thereafter private law practice. She currently covers Private Client work in Family, Probate, Debt Collection, P.I and General Civil Matters in our firm.
Year Of Qualification: 2005
Adebayo Ogunbode
Qualified Solicitor
Ade.ogunbode@alfred-james.com
Adebayo qualified as a solicitor in 2002. He obtained his master’s degree (LLM) from Kings College University in London (1989). Adebayo has gained experience in the following areas of law namely Prison, Criminal litigation. Civil Litigation. Immigration, Employment and Landlord and Tenant. Adebayo currently specialises in property law (Residential and Commercial) with his experience in the same spanning over 13 years as well as Probate. Adebayo has kept himself abreast in Residential & Commercial Property as well as Probate law being the daily areas of his practice. He also keeps himself abreast of his other areas by attending several professional development courses.
Year of Qualification: 2002
WHY CHOOSE US?
Dealing with the property and possessions after someone you love has died is often a difficult and emotional time. Alfred James & Co has a compassionate approach towards our clients, and our team are here to help with sound legal advice and can take care of matters for you.
We are proud to have achieved the Specialist Quality Mark (SQM) accreditation for demonstrating that we are well managed, provide excellent levels of client care and have systems in place to ensure delivery of good quality advice.
PRICING
Our fees confirmed below is for an Uncontested Probate matter where all the assets are in the UK. This includes both testate and intestate and taxable and non-taxable estates.
Applying for the grant of probate
We anticipate this will take between 2 – 3 months, although this can depend upon backlogs within the Probate Registry. We will normally charge a fixed fee estimated at £1500 – £1800 +VAT.
Disbursements included in this fee:
- Probate registry fees
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.
Potential additional costs
- If the services of a Tracing Agent is required, these fees are usually between £100 – £500 plus VAT.
- 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.
- Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.
How long will this take?
Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes several weeks. Collecting assets then follows and can generally take between 6 to 12 months. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets.
As part of our fixed fee we will:
- Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor or paralegal to work on your matter
- Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
- Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require
- Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application
- Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
- Draft a legal oath for you to swear
- Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
- Obtain the Probate and securely send two copies to you
Collecting and distributing the assets
We can help you through this difficult process by also undertaking the collecting and distributing of assets, which will include correspondence with all parties and 3rd parties involved.
How much does this service cost?
Total: This is a separate fee that will usually vary between 3.5% – 4% of the gross value of the entire estate. The difference between whether we charge 3.5% or up to 4% plus vat of the gross value of the estate will depend on the complexity of the management of the estate and the likely length of time it will take us to finalise the estate.
The exact cost will largely reflect issues arising relating to Inheritance Tax, along with the individual circumstances and complexities of the matter. For example, if there is only one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there is more than 1 beneficiary, a UK property and say, 3 UK bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end.
Value Added Tax
VAT is currently 20%