Probate costs

PauloMN

Just wondering what the norm is for probate costs. The estate we are dealing with is very straightforward, will left and split between children. Have been quoted what I think is an extortionate fee (3% of value of estate which will prob come in around 650k+ with house and cash assets) and wanted to ask on here.

If the current solicitor has the deeds and has started the work, could we still take the business elsewhere and just pay the current solicitor for what is done?

Not looking for the cheapest btw, I suspect some of the very cheapest probate specialists would have your case under a whole pile of others and it would be frustrating trying to contact them - however I think 3% is crazy money on a straightforward case with a large-ish value.

ezra_pound

PauloMN wrote: »

Just wondering what the norm is for probate costs. The estate we are dealing with is very straightforward, will left and split between children. Have been quoted what I think is an extortionate fee (3% of value of estate which will prob come in around 650k+ with house and cash assets) and wanted to ask on here.

If the current solicitor has the deeds and has started the work, could we still take the business elsewhere and just pay the current solicitor for what is done?

Not looking for the cheapest btw, I suspect some of the very cheapest probate specialists would have your case under a whole pile of others and it would be frustrating trying to contact them - however I think 3% is crazy money on a straightforward case with a large-ish value.

Probate office in courts service itemise their fees on courts website. If it's a straightforward matter...

PauloMN

ezra_pound wrote: »

Probate office in courts service itemise their fees on courts website. If it's a straightforward matter...

Well I'm happy for a solicitor to do it, but not for 3% of the estate. I don't want to do it myself and I'm happy to pay for it to be done. I wanted to get a gauge of what the norm is for a solicitor providing this service.

pcasso

I have had two probates to deal with in the last three years or so and both were in and around the 6k mark done by a solicitor.
They both would have been considerably less than the three percent the op was quoted.

coylemj

3% of 650K is 19,500 which sounds totally extortionate. Did you get that quote before or after you gave the solicitor the business? Might sound like a silly question but you really should have knocked him down on the price if it's a straightforward probate, you could have threatened to give the business to a different solicitor or simply have done it yourself.

PauloMN

Only spoke about fees today. It's probably like a lot of probate situations where the parent(s) were dealing with that solicitor (will, deeds etc.) and we just naturally continued to use the company. Of course in hindsight we should have spoken about fees earlier, but unfortunately at the time you are dealing with lots of other stuff and solicitor fees are the last thing on your mind.

Hence my question - can we just move solicitor at any time? We'd have to pay for what's been done up to now of course, but is there anything stopping us moving everything lot, stock and barrel to a different solicitor?

brian_t

PauloMN wrote: »

Only spoke about fees today. It's probably like a lot of probate situations where the parent(s) were dealing with that solicitor (will, deeds etc.) and we just naturally continued to use the company. Of course in hindsight we should have spoken about fees earlier,

I thought that solicitors were supposed to inform you of their fees before they started the work.

PauloMN

brian_t wrote: »

I thought that solicitors were supposed to inform you of their fees before they started the work.

Well they definitely didn't do that. No talk of fees until we asked about it yesterday.

brian_t

Information in relation to legal charges

The solicitor must inform the client in writing as soon as reasonable and practical,

of the charges they will incur for the provision of any legal service. The definition of

charges includes both professional fees and outlays. The legislation requires that the
actual charges be given, if this is possible. If not, then an estimate must be given, and if
that is not possible, the basis of the charges must be given. If, subsequently, unforeseen
complexities arise, the solicitor should review the information given to the client and, if
the letter setting out the charges needs to be varied, then a revised letter should issue

to the client.

https://www.lawsociety.ie/Documents/committees/conduct-guide.pdf

PauloMN

brian_t wrote: »

https://www.lawsociety.ie/Documents/committees/conduct-guide.pdf

Thanks, that's useful information to have. We received none of those items at all from the solicitor, only by asking this week about costs did we get the "quote" (over a phone call).

I'm very dubious about the fact that none of this has been in writing. We've asked twice now for a breakdown of costs thus far in writing.

brian_t

In a similar situation (a probate) our solicitor actually sent us a copy of that Conduct Guide along with a letter detailing his fees.