Our Charges

Clear, upfront information about legal costs.

We’ll always provide an estimate at the outset so you know where you stand. Our aim is transparency, giving you a clear picture of likely costs, what’s included, and when you’ll be updated, so there are no surprises along the way. For much of the work we undertake here at Roche Legal, we offer a fixed fee. This applies where the work is quantifiable from the outset, for example, when we are preparing a Will or Lasting Power of Attorney for you. For work that is not carried out on a fixed fee, we charge an hourly rate, so the total amount you’ll pay will depend on who works on your matter and how long it takes. We provide an estimate of total charges from the outset, as well as regular costs updates, so that you know where you stand throughout.

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Fixed Fee Work

Will(s) – From £250 + VAT, plus onboarding fee (listed below)
Lasting Power(s) of Attorney – From £650 + VAT, plus onboarding fee (listed below)
Strategy Meeting – £275 + VAT, plus onboarding fee (listed below)
- We can offer a Strategy Meeting at a fixed fee. The meeting lasts up to one hour, during which we can review any relevant documentation, take the time to understand your situation, confirm the scope of your matter, and listen carefully to your questions and concerns. We will outline a clear approach and proposed next steps, so you know exactly where you stand before any formal work begins. The meeting can be held via video call or in person, whichever you prefer. Following the meeting, we will send you a written summary of everything discussed, including agreed next steps and any outstanding items. If this sounds like something you would benefit from, please do not hesitate to contact our team, we are happy to help.

How our time-based charging works

Where your matter is charged at an hourly rate, time is recorded as work is carried out and reflected in your invoice. Rather than billing in large blocks, we record time in units of 6 minutes, which means you’re only ever charged for the time we actually spend.

This is standard practice across the legal profession and makes it straightforward to monitor how costs are building up throughout your matter.

Example: based on a Senior Solicitor at £350 per hour (each 6-minute unit = £35):

6 minutes

£35

12 minutes

£70

30 minutes

£175

1 unit

2 units

5 units

The minimum time recorded for any piece of work, including a short telephone call or email, is one unit (6 minutes). If a call runs to 7 minutes, that counts as two units. We think this is fair, and we will always tell you upfront if your matter is likely to involve a lot of short interactions.

VAT is charged on all fees at 20%. Our VAT number is GB217312245. If you are not VAT-registered, please factor this in when considering costs.

Our hourly rates

These are our current hourly rates across the firm, applicable from 1 July 2025. The fee earner assigned to your matter will depend on its nature and complexity — we will always tell you who is working with you and at what rate.

Role	Per hour (exc. VAT)	Per hour (inc. VAT)
Director	£390	£468
Senior Solicitor	£350	£420
Solicitor / Associate	£300	£360
Paralegal	£285	£342
Senior Legal Assistant	£265	£318
Legal Assistant / Other	£250	£300

Onboarding Fee

A fixed onboarding fee applies to all fixed fee matters. If your matter is billed at hourly rates, the time spent onboarding you as a client will be charged at the applicable hourly rate.

This fee covers some of the cost to us, as an authorised and regulated firm, of dealing with the legal, compliance, and regulatory aspects of setting you up as a client. It also goes towards the third-party cost of carrying out our due diligence and identification requirements. An onboarding fee will apply to any party to a matter who we need to identify, such as a beneficiary.

Onboarding fee: £100 plus VAT (£120) for the first person and then £50 plus VAT (£60) for additional person(s)

We may also charge an additional fee to reflect the complexity and value of a matter — typically 2.5% of the gross value of the estate. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information.

Give us clear, relevant information from the outset.

The more we understand your situation early on, the less time we spend establishing the basics later.

Send us only documents that are necessary and relevant.

If you are unsure whether something is needed, just ask. We would rather answer that question quickly than spend time reading something that turns out not to matter.

Combine your queries where you can.

A single email covering three questions is more efficient than three separate emails, for both of us.

Handle simple administrative tasks yourself.

Where it is straightforward to do so, for example, sending a document directly to a third party rather than routing it through us.

Trust us to do our job.

We will always keep you informed and we actively welcome questions — but if every step needs re-explaining or re-justifying, that time will be reflected in your bill. We are on your side.

What you are charged for

As solicitors, the value we provide is built on knowledge, expertise, and professional judgement. We charge for the time we spend applying that to your matter.

Telephone Calls

Time spent discussing your matter, whether we make the call or receive it — including calls to third parties such as other solicitors, asset holders, or authorities.

Emails and Letters

Time spent reading, drafting, and responding to correspondence. This includes the pauses for thought that are part of dealing carefully with legal matters — not just the typing.

Drafting

Preparing legal documents, applications, or written arguments on your behalf.

Attendance

Time spent in meetings with you, in person or virtually, as well as with other parties where necessary.

Research

Reviewing relevant law, guidance, or case precedent to ensure our advice to you is well-founded.

Consideration

Thinking time, working through the specifics of your situation, considering implications, and deciding how best to proceed. This is often where the real value lies. Legal advice is provided as part of these activities rather than charged separately. You will not be charged twice for a conversation and the advice given within it.

Cost Illustration - obtaining a grant only

Our Grant of Probate Only service includes either the application for simpler estates or the full Inheritance Tax form (IHT400 and schedules) for more complex situations, plus the application to the Probate Registry to obtain the Grant.

You supply the relevant figures and information, and we take care of the forms for you to check and sign before submitting the application on your behalf.

Key stages include:

Identifying executors and beneficiaries
Checking the type of application required
Obtaining relevant information from you
Completing the probate application and any relevant HMRC forms
Drafting the Legal Statement
Making the application
Obtaining the Grant and providing all relevant documents to you so you can administer the estate yourself

For a simple estate, our costs start from £3,000 plus VAT (£3,600), plus our onboarding fee and expenses (see below).

For a more complex estate requiring the IHT400 and schedules, our costs start from £6,000 plus VAT (£7,200), plus our onboarding fee and expenses.

How long will this take?

Simple estate matters can normally be dealt with within 6 months of receiving the relevant information.

More complex matters involving the IHT400 are likely to take between 6 and 12 months.

We cannot influence how long the Probate Registry takes to issue the Grant.

Cost Illustration - administration of estate

Where you need us to deal with the full administration of an estate, including obtaining a Grant of Probate and collecting and distributing the assets, our fees are based on our hourly rates.

Key stages (in addition to our Grant Only service) typically include:

Writing to all asset holders and debtors to obtain figures
Completing the required forms for your review and signature
Submitting the application to the Probate Registry
Closing or transferring accounts and investments
Finalising the tax position
Producing estate accounts for the beneficiaries
Distributing the estate in accordance with the Will or Intestacy Rules

For a simpler estate (valid Will, no more than one property, up to 3 bank accounts, up to 3 beneficiaries, and no disputes), if a Senior Solicitor works on your matter, the total legal fees for 25 to 35 hours of work would typically be between £8,750 and £12,250 plus VAT.

Onboarding fees and third-party expenses will apply in addition.

Fixed fee for finalising the estate

We apply a fixed fee at the final stage of estate administration, covering the conclusion of the matter including estate accounts, beneficiary verification, final payments, and returning original documents.

This is charged instead of continuing to bill hourly at this stage.

Number of residuary beneficiaries and fixed fee

Fewer than 4 beneficiaries: Up to £650 plus VAT
4–6 beneficiaries: Up to £1,150 plus VAT
7–9 beneficiaries: Up to £1,800 plus VAT
10–14 beneficiaries: Up to £2,500 plus VAT
15 or more beneficiaries: Up to £3,500 plus VAT

How long will this take?

A simpler estate can typically be concluded within 12 months, broken down as follows:

Applying for Grant of Probate: 3 to 6 months
Notifying asset holders and placing legal notices: 4 to 6 months
Distributing the assets: 9 to 12 months
Preparing the estate accounts: 9 to 12 months

For more complex estates, each stage is likely to take longer. It is more usual for the estate administration to take between 12 and 24 months before it can be concluded, and in some cases longer still.

These timeframes do not apply to estates with cross-border or international aspects.

Expenses (disbursements)

The expenses we incur relate to payments we make to third parties on your behalf. We handle these on your behalf to ensure a smoother process and then add the cost to your invoice.

We will always let you know before incurring any significant expenses, and we aim to keep third-party costs to a minimum wherever possible.

Expense	Cost
Probate application fee	£300 (or £0 where net estate is below £5,000) — no VAT
Additional copies of the Grant	£16 each — no VAT
Sealed and certified copy of the Grant (if assets held abroad)	£16 each — no VAT
HM Land Registry office copies (if required)	£7.00 each — no VAT
Placing s.27 notices	Approx. £450 plus VAT
Bankruptcy searches	£6 per name — no VAT

Your Questions Asked

FAQs

How do I receive tailored information about your charges?

Please book a Free Discovery Call and we will give you a clear picture of likely costs based on your specific circumstances.

Do you charge VAT?

All our charges are subject to VAT at 20%. Our VAT number is GB 217312245. If you are outside the scope of UK VAT, you may not need to pay this — please ask us if you are unsure.

Do you charge extra if it's urgent?

Yes. Where your matter is urgent, an urgency uplift will apply so that we can turn the work around in the short timeframe required. We will let you know from the outset if this applies to you.

Do I need to pay anything upfront?

Yes, before we start work, we ask for a payment on account for our fees.

What are your payment terms?

Our invoices are due on receipt. We usually request payment upfront or hold a retainer to avoid having to request payment after work has been carried out.

How do I pay?

You can pay your invoice online. We do not accept cheques or cash.

Can I pay by instalments?

We rarely accept payment by instalments. Please speak to us if this is something you need to discuss.

I'm being charged hourly - how often will you update me on costs?

We aim to provide costs updates monthly. These may involve a revision to the original estimate provided if the matter has developed in a way that was not anticipated at the outset.

Who will be dealing with my matter?

Please visit our Meet the Team page for general experience and qualification information. When you instruct us, you will be given the name of the person working on your matter and the name of the person supervising. If this changes during the course of your matter, we will let you know.