Bill for will

Ardillaun

Odd question. If a solicitor fails to produce a bill for drawing up a will, can he make a claim for payment against the estate?

endacl

I don't know, but your title and post is crying out for a clever rhyming answer!

*follows thread in anticipation...

Carawaystick

endacl wrote: »

*follows thread in anticipation...

Surely this could have been better, assonance or something even

Some solicitors might draw up a will expecting to get executor/admins fees

Ardillaun

I'm not sure if an elderly relative is just being paranoid. Has anybody heard of this kind of thing before?

Peregrinus

If he hasn't produced a bill, he can't make a claim against anybody.

However, if he did the work, but before he bills for it the testator dies, he can certainly raise a bill and is entitled to be treated as a creditor of the estate, just like anyone else to whom the deceased owed money for services rendered. The position might be different if he did the work long ago, and he was either out of time to bill for it, or had delayed so long as to create a reasonable expectation that he wasn't going to bill.

Sala

A will usually isn't terribly expensive.

P. Breathnach

Sala wrote: »

A will usually isn't terribly expensive.

Drawing up a will usually isn't terribly expensive. Dealing with it might be an entirely different matter.

Ardillaun

Peregrinus wrote: »

If he hasn't produced a bill, he can't make a claim against anybody.

However, if he did the work, but before he bills for it the testator dies, he can certainly raise a bill and is entitled to be treated as a creditor of the estate, just like anyone else to whom the deceased owed money for services rendered. The position might be different if he did the work long ago, and he was either out of time to bill for it, or had delayed so long as to create a reasonable expectation that he wasn't going to bill.

What is a reasonable time? It's well over a year now. Are there guidelines on a reasonable fee?