The Inheritance Act 1975 protects spouses (including former spouses), cohabitants, children and other dependants when a person dies without leaving sufficient money for the dependent’s continued wellbeing. Radcliffe Chambers’ barristers can provide you with written advice on whether you can make a claim under the Act. Our barristers can also provide you with written advice when a person dies and you are a beneficiary of the estate, but someone else makes a claim under the Act.
Timescales
Timescales for your written advice may vary depending on factors such as barristers’ availability, the value and complexity of the deceased person’s estate, your financial needs and those of any beneficiary of the estate. However, claims under the Act must be made within six months of the grant of probate, so as a guide your written advice will be available within two to four weeks where possible. At the time of instructing us, our clerks will agree a timescale with you.
Fees
We may charge fixed fees, which means that we will charge you a set amount of money for the written advice. Below we provide estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees for barristers in Radcliffe Chambers, where the deceased person’s estate is worth less than £300,000. All fees exclude VAT (where applicable).
If we charge fixed fees, these may be towards the higher end of the range if you need a more experienced barrister and/or the deceased person’s estate is more complex. If the deceased person’s estate is particularly complex, your fees may also be higher than the estimate below:
Written advice on making or defending a claim: £1,750 – £6,000 (estimate)
Hourly rate example
Written advice on making or defending a claim: £300 + VAT – £600 + VAT per hour (estimated time taken is approximately 12 – 15 hours)
Contact Us
All information is correct as of January 2020, but fees are estimates only. For a fuller quotation please contact our clerking team at clerks@radcliffechambers.com or on 020 7831 0081.
