Our commitment to clear and transparent pricing

We want you to understand how much your legal matter is likely to cost before you engage us. The Law Society of Scotland encourages law firms who advise individual clients to publish accessible, prominent and easy to understand pricing information. We follow this guidance and review it regularly to ensure clarity and fairness.

This information is for guidance only. The overall fee may change if, for example:
•  Additional complexities arise;
•  Third party delays or unforeseen issues require extra work;
•  You ask us to undertake tasks outside the original scope;
•  Urgent instructions require work outside normal timescales.

If this happens, we will update you promptly with a revised estimate and seek your agreement before proceeding.

Before we start to act on your behalf, you will receive a written estimate (or quotation) that sets out:
•  The work to be done;
•  The estimated total fee or the basis of the fee;
•  VAT and expected outlays;

Urgent instructions require work outside normal timescales.

The estimated total fee or the basis of the fee;

• VAT and expected outlays;

• Who will carry out the work;

• Who to contact with any concerns or complaints.

Request a personalised quote

For an estimate tailored to your situation, please contact:

Edward A Danks, Partner

01620 892138 / edanks@parissteele.com

Fraser W J Symon, Partner

01368 862746 / fsymon@parissteele.com

VAT and outlays

VAT is charged at the prevailing rate and will be shown separately on estimates and invoices. 

Outlays are third party costs we pay on your behalf, such as Registers of Scotland dues, court fees, sheriff officers, medical/expert reports, searches and local authority charges.

We do not add any margin or profit to outlays. They are passed on at the cost charged to us. 

Family Law

Overview
When you instruct us to act on your behalf in a family law matter we will allocate the person best suited to help you. Family law matters can vary significantly from one case to another.

The individual members of our Family Law Team charge different hourly rates – these rates reflect their seniority and experience. It is usually not possible to offer a fixed fee in relation to family law work. Therefore, fees are charged on a time spent basis.

To avoid any confusion, we will:
• Consider at the outset of the instruction which member of our Family Law Team can competently and appropriately undertake your case, at the best rate.

• Help you to find the right dispute resolution process for you, where appropriate bearing in mind that some processes tend to be more cost effective than others.

• Indicate the cost of likely fees and outlays at your initial meeting with your Solicitor as far as it is possible to do so.

• Set out, in a Terms of Business letter, information about how fees and outlays will be charged. We will also explain when and how court expenses may be dealt with.

We will be happy to have a discussion with you about costs and service levels in response to any query you may have during the progress of your case.

There are many variables which can affect the progress and outcome of a case, and which can affect cost.  These factors can include:
• How the other party / their Solicitor conduct their side of the case;

• The availability of a Sheriff/Judge to hear a Court case, with possible continuations or delays;

• The nature and extent of any outlays chargeable, for example the cost of obtaining an expert witness report or a child welfare report in a court action about childcare arrangements;

• The level of interaction which the client needs to have with their Solicitor in order to make meaningful progress in their case.

Outlays

Over and above the cost of time charged by the Solicitor looking after a case, there may be additional outlays. Outlays are charges and costs paid out by the firm on behalf of the client to other parties or agencies for example, the Sheriff Court, or Court of Session, Registers of Scotland, local authorities and any expert witnesses (this list is not exhaustive). These charges are incurred by the client as a necessary part of the Solicitor’s work on the case. The firm makes no profit on outlays. The payment is passed on to the client.

Types of Work

When a family relationship breaks down there can be a whole host of family law matters to resolve, including financial provision, arrangements for the care of children, and divorce/dissolution. Family law also covers the provision of general advice in relation to the preparation of Cohabitation Agreements, Pre and Post Nuptial Agreements, and advice about family creation including surrogacy, adoption and assisted conception.

The process involved in resolving a case, and the level of conflict, can have a significant bearing upon costs. If you have any questions about how work is charged, please do not hesitate to contact Edward Danks on 01620 892138 or edanks@parissteele.com.

Costs – hourly rates

The hourly rates charged by our family law team members range from £200 per hour to £330 per hour. These rates are exclusive of VAT.

The guidance does not apply where work is funded wholly by legal aid.

Wills, Powers of Attorney, Executries, Trusts & Estate Planning

Overview

Members of our Private Client Team provide a wide range of personal legal services, including the preparation of Wills and Powers of Attorney. We have outlined below the fees our clients can expect to pay for such services.

Due to the nature of this work, the fees detailed below are intended to act as guidance only, and actual costs must be determined on a case-by-case basis to suit the individual needs and requirements of each client, taking account of various factors including the urgency and complexity of the work that will be involved.

Some types of work will be carried out on a “fixed fee” basis, whilst others will be calculated by the amount of time spent on the matter, with reference to the hourly charging rates of the individual acting on the client’s behalf.

Anyone who would like to instruct our Private Client Team should contact one of our team to discuss the nature of the service(s) they require and to obtain a specific and detailed estimate of fees based on their requirements.

Outlays

In addition to our own fees, many types of work will incur additional costs or outlays which will be paid by the firm on behalf of clients to external organisations or companies. 

Wills

When instructed to prepare a Will, we will work with you to ensure all family, personal and financial circumstances are considered and as part of this, we will be able to indicate whether additional estate or succession planning would be beneficial from an Inheritance Tax perspective.

For a simple Will for one person, the cost would typically be in the region of £250 +VAT.  There would not usually be any outlays involved in the preparation of a Will.

Additional fees would be charged if a home or hospital visit is required. The amount would depend on the location although as a guide, the additional cost could be in the region of £100 +VAT.

Powers of Attorney

A Power of Attorney allows you to appoint someone you trust, possibly a family member or friend, to act on your behalf if you become unable to manage your affairs. For family members and friends, being granted Power of Attorney allows them to deal with banks, lawyers, care homes, and the government on your behalf. Without a power of attorney being in place, making legal decisions can be a difficult, expensive, not to mention stressful, process.

For a combined Continuing and Welfare Power of Attorney for an individual, the cost would generally be around £355 +VAT and outlays, being the cost of having the Power of Attorney registered with the Office of the Public Guardian.  This registration process must take place before the Power of Attorney can be used, and the cost of this is currently £96 per Deed (although this is reviewed annually).

Again, additional fees would be charged if a home or hospital visit is required.  The amount would depend on the location although as a guide, the additional cost could be in the region of £100 +VAT.

Guardianship or Intervention Orders

If instructed to assist in an application for Guardianship, the Terms of Business letter would typically state that all such work will be charged for on the basis of time spent by the individual carrying out the work. It is difficult to provide a fixed fee for this type of work as each case will be entirely unique to the adult and circumstances in question, and the overall cost will depend on several factors including the extent of the adult’s assets, their financial and welfare needs and family relations.

A typical fee may be in the region of £4,000 - £7,500 +VAT.

Outlays would be incurred in any Guardianship or Intervention application and would typically include Sheriff Court fees of £ 171 and the costs of obtaining required medical and psychiatric reports.

Executry Administration

We can act as the estate administrator on behalf of the deceased and their Executor.

When instructed to carry out a full executry administration service, our Private Client Team instructs the services of a law accountant to determine what fees we are entitled to charge in an estate, which ensures all costs are fair and reasonable. The law accountant will review our files and all work carried out, and will determine what appropriate fee should be charged based on several factors including time spent, estate value, complexity, urgency of the instruction etc.

Typically, we would bill an executry matter at two stages: once at the approximate halfway point once Confirmation has been obtained from the Sheriff Court, and again at the end of the estate administration.

An example of a fee that may be charged to the point of Confirmation would be in the region of £2750 – £3750 +VAT for a simple estate. For more complex estates, the cost to Confirmation could be around £8000 +VAT.  Fees from Confirmation to conclusion would generally be the same again.

Each estate is, however, different, and fees may vary significantly from one case to another.

Certain outlays will also be incurred in the administration of an estate, and these will depend on the work required.  The following outlays may be charged:

• Scottish Court and Tribunal Fees to appoint an Executor – £22;

• Scottish Court and Tribunal fees for Confirmation – £341 – £684 (plus cost of individual Certificates at £ 9 each).

We can also offer an abbreviated executry administration service, restricting our involvement to helping the deceased’s Executor in defined areas. When instructed on the abbreviated service we can normally undertake this work for a fixed fee.

Any conveyancing work required as part of the estate, for example to sell a property or to transfer it into the name of a beneficiary, would be charged separately – please see the price guide in our Residential Conveyancing section.

Trusts

Our team has extensive experience in setting up and running trusts, which are a great way to protect your assets and your loved ones.

The cost of setting up a trust would typically be in the region of £1,500 + VAT to include all associated advice.  The Trust Deed, once prepared, would need to be registered with the Books of Council and Session which costs £20 per Deed.

We also routinely advise on the ongoing administration of Trusts once they have been established. If instructed to assist with ongoing Trust administration, the Terms of Business letter would typically state that all such work would be billed on a time spent basis. It is difficult to provide a fixed fee for this type of work as each case will be entirely unique to the trust.

Costs for the annual administration of a Trust would generally be charged on a time spent basis with charge rates ranging from £200 – £335 + VAT per hour.

Estate planning

Whenever we receive a client instruction, we will consider whether the client would also benefit from further estate planning with a view to reducing or mitigating the amount of Inheritance Tax their estate may have to pay on death.

The work involved in any such estate planning will be very specific to each individual client and would usually be charged on a time spent basis.  Once any estate planning measures have been agreed upon, fixed fee quotes may be offered.

Certifying and Notarising Documents

We will be happy to assist clients in having documents certified and/or notarised. Typical costs can depend on the number of papers involved but our fees should be:

Certifying copies of documents as true copies - fees for each copy

£40 + VAT

Certifying copies of ID documents – fee for each ID document

£40 + VAT

Drafting simple Affidavit or Statutory Declaration

£100 +VAT

Drafting simple Affidavit or Statutory Declaration

£140 +VAT