How our Fees are Charged

We charge for the time taken to provide you with the advice you require. We will tell you at the outset whether the fee will be fixed or charged on an hourly rate. That will depend on the type of work and its complexity. We will also confirm our basis of fee charging to you in writing when we send you our terms of business. If the fee is to be charged on an hourly basis, you will also be charged for the initial meeting.

Our charges are calculated by reference to the number of hours worked for you. Each hour is divided into “units” of 6 minutes. In one hour, there are 10 units. Each unit is charged out at 10% of the hourly rate.

Please note if a task or advice takes less than six minutes, it is rounded up to the nearest unit. For example, a 2 minute phone call is still one unit.

Our hourly rates vary according to the seniority of the person working for you and the complexity of our work for you. Our current hourly rates (exclusive of VAT) are:

Partner/Member/Consultant: £325

Associate/Trust & Executries Executive: £300

Solicitor: £275

Trainee Solicitor: £225

Paralegal: £225

We charge for the time spent on providing you with advice and representation including:

• Telephone calls - With you or with other parties, and whether making or receiving a call – this includes calls from you checking on progress.
• Letters or emails - both writing and reviewing.
• Research - time spent considering specific legal issues pertinent to your circumstances.
• Drafting - This is preparing, or amending, legal documents.
• Noting - This is the preparation of internal file notes and reports relating to your advice.
• Attendance - This is time in court or a tribunal.
• Meetings – in person or virtually.

VAT at the prevailing rate (currently 20%) is chargeable on the fees we render for all our services.

As noted, for some types of work, we may charge a fixed fee. Here are some examples:

Straightforward Wills

Single Will (for the estate of one person), £200 exclusive of VAT

Mirror Will (identical wills drafted for two people), £350 exclusive of VAT

If you are married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting, a Mirror Will may only be appropriate where neither you nor your partner has children from a separate relationship. If this is not the case, you may require a more complex Will.

Complex Wills

More complex cases might involve for example, advice on legacies or limiting the inheritance of, or disinheriting, beneficiaries, incorporating a liferent or a discretionary Trust.

Single Will, £400 exclusive of VAT

Mirror Will,  £700 exclusive of VAT

• Our fixed fee for the above Wills include:
• taking your instructions,
• providing advice as appropriate to your requirements,
• providing advice on legal rights,
• preparing a draft will for you to review,
• making changes following your review,
• supervising your execution (signing) of the will,
• storage of original will in our secure storage facility, and
• providing you with a copy of your will.

The above fixed fees exclude VAT (currently charged at 20%).

Powers of Attorney (“POA”)

For one person, £250 exclusive of VAT

For two people, £400 exclusive of VAT

Our fixed fees for the POA include:

• taking your instructions,
• providing advice as appropriate to your requirements,
• preparing a draft POA for you to review,
• making changes following review,
• writing to your attorneys with registration forms to be signed and returned,
• supervising your execution (signing) of the POA,
• arranging for your POA to be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (“OPG”), and
• providing you with one certified copy of your POA once registered.

Please note that additional certified copies will be charged separately.

The above fixed fees exclude VAT (currently charged at 20%). Registration dues which are paid to the OPG are £96 per POA and are charged additionally to our fixed fee.

Creating a Lifetime Discretionary Trust

Our fixed fee for setting up a Trust is between £1,500 to £2,000 exclusive of VAT

Our fixed fee includes:

• taking your instructions,
• providing advice as appropriate to your requirements,
• preparing a draft Trust Deed for you to review,
• making changes following review,
• writing to the other Trustees with the final Trust Deed for signature,
• arranging for the Trust Deed to be registered in the Books of Council and Session (a public register which facilitates the secure storage of the Trust Deed), and
• providing you with an extract copy of the Trust Deed once registered.

The above fixed fee excludes VAT (currently charged at 20%). Registration dues which are paid to the Books of Council and Session are £20 and are charged in addition to our fixed fee.

Please note our fixed fee does not include:

• work associated with the ongoing administration of the Trust,
• registering the Trust with HMRC,
• advising HMRC of any changes,
• advice and work associated with distribution of funds from the Trust or the winding up of the Trust,
• advice on inheritance tax, and
• preparing the transfer of heritable property (buildings and land) into a trust

All of these tasks, if instructed by you, will be charged on the basis of our then prevailing hourly rates.

Sale or Purchase of a residential property

Our fees are fixed based on the value of the residential property you are buying or selling and the extent of the work that will be involved in completing the transaction on your behalf.

You will be provided with a fixed fee quotation at the outset of your enquiry which will detail the fees to be charged to you together with all of the necessary outlays that require to be incurred in completing the transaction on your behalf. 

Please note that the outlays involved change depending on whether it is a sale or a purchase. 

Our fixed fee includes:

Sale

• Taking your instructions on the Missives (The Offer, Qualified Acceptance and Concluding Missive),
• Negotiating and concluding the Missives with the sellers’ solicitors,
• Exhibiting your title to the Purchaser’s solicitor and answering all observations raised,
• Ordering all necessary reports (Multisearch and Plans Report),
• Obtaining a new plan if necessary, sending this to you for approval and ordering a further report over this,
• Obtaining copy deeds if required and copies of completion certificates or notice of improvement grants (any outlays incurred in obtaining the documentation will be charged to you),
• Arranging for you to sign the Disposition in favour of the purchaser,
• Engaging with any Factor or Property Management Company on your behalf, and
• Paying any Estate Agency invoices, and transferring to you, your net free proceeds of sale together with a cash statement and copy fee note.

Purchase

• Taking your instructions on the Missives (The Offer, Qualified Acceptance and Concluding Missive),
• Reviewing the title deeds and preparing a report on title for you,
• Verifying your source of funds,
• Preparing and sending to you a cash statement showing the total amount due by you, and providing you with our client account details,
• Preparing the Disposition for signature by the Seller,
• Completing and arranging of signing of Land Building Transaction Tax (“LBTT”) mandate, submitting LBTT return and arranging for payment of any tax due including any Additional Dwelling Supplement due,
• Registering the Disposition, and
• Once registered, sending your title sheet to you.

The fixed fee excludes VAT (currently charged at 20%). Registration dues which are paid to the Registers of Scotland are charged in addition to our fixed fee. Outlays are also not included.

Please note our fixed fee does not include the following which will be charged in addition to our fixed fee:

• Discharging a Standard Security over the property (£250 ex VAT),
• Putting in place a Standard Security over your property (£250 ex VAT),
• Preparing and arranging for signature of a Deed of Gift (£100 ex VAT),
• Attending to any planning/ alteration issues/ obtaining local authority consents or indemnity policy/affidavits (excluding any outlays incurred in obtaining the documentation) (Up to £300 ex VAT),
• Registration of Septic Tank (£100 ex VAT),
• Issues with the plan/ obtaining a new plan (exclusive of the cost of producing a new plan) (£150 ex VAT),

All of these tasks, if instructed by you, will be charged for in addition to our fixed fee. Any post-settlement disputes such as central heating defects will be charged on the basis of our then prevailing hourly rates.

Discharge of Standard Security

Our fee is £250.  VAT is chargeable (currently at 20%) and registration dues which are payable to Registers of Scotland are £80 or if electronic registration is possible, £60.

Transfer of Residential Property

Our fee is £750. VAT is chargeable (currently at 20%) and registration dues which are payable to Registers of Scotland will be dependent on the value of the property being transferred. Outlays are not included.

Title Queries

Any queries in relation to boundaries or common repairs etc will be charged on the basis of our prevailing hourly rates.

Agricultural Property

Please contact the office for a quote for selling or purchasing a farm or for any other agricultural property work.

Commercial Property

Please contact the office for a quote for selling, purchasing or leasing a commercial property.



PLEASE NOTE

1. Our charges and scope of work will be detailed in our Letter of Engagement (“LOE”) and in the event of any conflict between the terms of the LOE and this Website Statement, the terms of the LOE will prevail.
2. Our hourly rates are reviewed on an annual basis and may be increased. Whilst we make every effort to update our website accordingly, the fees stipulated in the LOE are definitive and will prevail in the event of a conflict.
3. VAT rates may change from time to time and we are bound to charge VAT at the prevailing rate at the time we carry out work on your behalf.
4. The LOE sets out full details of how our fees are calculated; payment terms; and what to do in the event of a dispute regarding our fees.