Before they release funds, banks and building societies will often need a Grant of Probate (if there is a Will) or Letters of Administration (if there is no Will). If a person who has died owned a house in their own name, a Grant will be needed to sell the house. Generally speaking, if you have a house in your own name and/or have assets in the bank of more than £5000 you will need to go through Probate.

This means that the Executors of your Will if you have made one, will have to send the Will to the Probate Registry with an Affidavit telling the Probate Registry who they are and what your estate is worth. A Probate Judge will then grant them Probate to the Will. The Grant of Probate is what your Executors will need to collect your assets.

We provide 30 minutes free advice and will discuss the likely costs of your case. We will ask you to make a payment on account and will bill you monthly so you are not surprised by a bill of costs at the end of the case.

If your query is something that we at RJT are unable to help you with then we will advise you on who can best assist and help you with this.

Cases are unique to our clients and we will discuss with you our up front prices based on a general fee structure, as follows:

• Family Law – pre-agreed fixed fee or agreed hourly rate
• Wills & Lasting Power of Attorney – agreed fixed fee starting from £300.00 for a basic will; £580.00 for basic mirror wills; Lasting Power of Attorney £350 per power; £660 for both powers plus the registration fee which is currently £82 per power
• Probate – charged on an hourly rate based on case assessment
• Oaths, Affidavits & Statutory Declarations – £5 per oath administered plus £2 per exhibit

All charges are subject to Vat

You can start divorce proceedings as long as you have been married for at least 12 months and you can demonstrate a strong enough connection to the country in which you are looking to get divorced. There is one ground for divorce and that is the irretrievable breakdown of a marriage.

Since 06.04.2022 it is no longer necessary to ‘blame’ the other party for the breakdown of the marriage.

Just because a couple gets divorced does not mean that their finances are sorted out. You need a separate order approved by the Judge dealing with financial matters following the breakdown of your marriage. We can ensure that you get this, whether it is a question of us including the terms of the agreement reached in a consent order that we send to the Court for the Judge’s approval, or by issuing a court application on your behalf to achieve a final financial order.