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HELP! Trying to prevent a travesty over my friend dying allegedly intestate

Thorn said:
An hourly rate of £300 divided into 6 minute units for phone calls and face-to-face interviews and one unit per letter of email is not unreasonable for a partner, although it might be for an assistant solicitor, and definitely for a clerk.

Before you squawk about £300 an hour don't forget that it not only goes toward paying the person who does the work but also the support staff, the rent, the indemnity insurance and other insurances, the IT that solicitors are forced to have by the Law Society and courts, the stationery, the phone bills, the cup of tea your friend had, the interest on the loan to run the practice, the practising certificate fee and a host of other things I've probably forgotten. Then there's subsidising the unprofitable areas of law like crime, though many firms are going straight these days.And finally there's hopefully some profit left over for the partners.

That said, the firm charging £300 an hour is probably based in the south-east or is an upmarket firm in a large city. Solicitors in high street firms charge less.
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I get this when negotiating a daily rate with small food manufacturers. A splutter from the MD and "that's more than *I* make from tbis!" Well , feel free to do your own work then. I charge less for a day's work than a plumber would at the normal hourly rate. If I don't like this then I can get my own spanners out and install my own bathroom.
 
Thorn said:
An hourly rate of £300 divided into 6 minute units for phone calls and face-to-face interviews and one unit per letter of email is not unreasonable for a partner, although it might be for an assistant solicitor, and definitely for a clerk.

Before you squawk about £300 an hour don't forget that it not only goes toward paying the person who does the work but also the support staff, the rent, the indemnity insurance and other insurances, the IT that solicitors are forced to have by the Law Society and courts, the stationery, the phone bills, the cup of tea your friend had, the interest on the loan to run the practice, the practising certificate fee and a host of other things I've probably forgotten. Then there's subsidising the unprofitable areas of law like crime, though many firms are going straight these days.And finally there's hopefully some profit left over for the partners.

That said, the firm charging £300 an hour is probably based in the south-east or is an upmarket firm in a large city. Solicitors in high street firms charge less.
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yada yada yada

meanwhile 99% of the work is done by a junior on £19K a year.

Being executor is a doddle most of the time with no need whatsoever to pay a solicitor to do it.
 
Bob McC said:
meanwhile 99% of the work is done by a junior on £19K a year.
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Not in my old firm, nor the one I did a bit of part time work for after I retired. In both the senior partner did the probate work. And neither firm had a junior clerk doing fee earning work.
 
I could do my own diy but I am inept and would cock it up, Crap looking bathroom or a leak is probably the worst that could happen, you may be very good and get it totally correct, great if you are and you will save a lot doing this

diy soliciting is equally doable but I don’t have insurance if I cock it up and the consequences can be huge, my wife is a solicitor and we don’t do our own soliciting so that we do benefit from the insurance of paying someone to do it for us.
 
Minor point as I am sure you trust him completely Tony but getting a close relative like your Dad to sign your will as witness isn’t advisable, it’s not law but guidance I recall but best to get it witnessed in person by people who are not family or a beneficiary
 
DarrenW said:
Minor point as I am sure you trust him completely Tony but getting a close relative like your Dad to sign your will as witness isn’t advisable, it’s not law but guidance I recall but best to get it witnessed in person by people who are not family or a beneficiary
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At this point he is fine, and the existing will was rapidly done just to put something in place as I was at a high-risk from covid 19. I will get it redone, likely when my father dies or goes sufficiently downhill mentally that he wouldn’t be able to remember where his copy is etc. At this point it likely serves the purpose it needs to serve. Ideally I’d like to find a lawyer who understands what pfm is as I suspect I’d end up banging my head on the table in frustration trying to explain it to someone who just makes a living doing simple form-letter family crap, none of which applies here.

PS Finding a charity lawyer is an option I’ll look into too as I do plan to leave a pretty substantial percentage to a couple.
 
This thread has reminded me my wife and I need to sort out a will. We've been meaning to use Will Aid every year for the past decade but haven't quit gotten around to it.

Slightly OT question: have any members made specific provision for their record collection?
 
And remember to arrange health and finance powers of attorney if not done so far.
No one knows what is round the corner.

My wife inherits everything from me if I pre decease her.
She can do what she wants with them.
If she pre deceases me then when I go they are to be sold and the proceeds shared between my three kids.

Don’t forget if you have no will, do have kids and your estate is worth more than £270 K if you die your partner does not get everything. she only gets the first £270K. It then gets complicated!

see
https://www.pearsonlegal.co.uk/indi...pduZlUaSmjmLl4uV4KucwSbW3arQiz9saArAlEALw_wcB
 
When my wife and I made our wills, we also arranged Power of Attorney as well. It means if one of us goes doolally the other assumes responsibility for the others affairs.
 
paulfromcamden said:
This thread has reminded me my wife and I need to sort out a will. We've been meaning to use Will Aid every year for the past decade but haven't quit gotten around to it.

Slightly OT question: have any members made specific provision for their record collection?
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+ LPA’s as Bob / Euan say. Good idea to have 2 nominees each. Awful to think about, but say you were both in a car crash and ended up in vegetative states. Your solicitor will advise accordingly.

Also, if you leave a charitable legacy, not only is it IHT free but if it’s more than 10% of your estate, the entire estate benefits from a reduced IHT rate if applicable. A win win.
 
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