Our Fees

De Jure Chambers has a team of highly qualified and experienced solicitors ready to provide you with specialist legal advice. We offer our services on an hourly rate basis which means our charges will be based on the amount of time spent working on your matter. All our fee earners charge £350.00 +VAT per hour. You can find more information about our fee earners and their experience in ‘The Team’ section of our website. We also have a dedicated team of Paralegals and support staff who assist our fee earners in their work.

We will never undertake work without first discussing it with you and we will not incur any fees without prior approval. As each case is unique, we will discuss your case and provide you with individual quotes before undertaking any work.

Under the Solicitor Regulatory Authority (SRA) Transparency Rules, we are required to provide costs information for some of the services we offer. All the fees provided below are estimates only and do not form an offer or a fixed fee basis. The below have been compiled based on our previous experience and the industry averages.

PROBATE

Costs Information

Our fees will be incurred based on the number of hours spent working on your matter. We will be able to periodically advise you as to the time we will need to spend on your matter and the corresponding cost.

The fees will be calculated on the basis of Dr Paul Chiy’s hourly rate of £350 + VAT.

In simple cases where there is a valid Will, there are no assets outside of the UK, there is no disputes between the beneficiaries and where there are no claims made against the estate, we estimate that our fees will be in the region of £10,000 (excluding VAT and any disbursements).

In complex cases where there are multiple beneficiaries and diversified assets and potentially foreign assets, where inheritance tax is payable, where there are commercial real estate interests, our fees could reach the region of £60,000 (excluding VAT and any disbursements).

When applicable, VAT will be applied at the rate of 20%. VAT is charged at the standard rate the details of which are found here: VAT rates - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk/vatrates). Our fees will be determined by the nature of the offence, whether the charge is contested and if representation in court is required. We will provide you with fee estimates in advance and will endeavour to offer fixed fees once we have reviewed your case.

If you chose to instruct us, we will be able to give you more specific costs advice.

Services Included in the Price

Obtaining instructions
Reviewing the Will
Identifying legally appointed executors
Meeting with executors to discuss the estate and probate process
Identifying all assets and liabilities in the deceased’s name
Arranging for a simple valuation of the property
Obtaining any valuations which may be required by HMRC
Completing relevant HMRC forms
Where applicable, drafting a legal Oath
Obtaining Probate
Preparing the inheritance tax return and arranging payment of the inheritance tax
Collecting all assets of the estate
Preparing a final estate statement or simple estate accounts
Distributing all assets in the estate
Finalising the tax position of the estate

Services Not Included

The above estimates are for simple probate cases where the estate is not contested. Further, they do not take into account probates with international assets, cases with no Will (which are likely to incur additional costs); or other matter which make the case more complex and thus result in a prolonged process.

Disbursements will be further charged during your case. These are costs payable to third parties, such as court fees.

The likely disbursements are:

Probate Application fee – £155

Official copies of the Grant of Representation – £1.50 per copy
£3 Official copes of the Land Registry title of the deceased’s real estate
Bankruptcy Search – approx. £2
‘Section 27 Trustee Act 1925’ Advertisement in the Local Newspaper(s) – approx. £150-£300

Unknown disbursements include inheritance tax, executor insurance and fees for accountants and surveyors.

Timescales and Key Stages

On average, it can take up to a year finalise probate. The time to spent on the file may increase if third parties take longer to respond or if there are unexpected complications. The time estimates for more complex estates will be longer.

The usual steps that need to be undertaken include:

Obtaining the Grant of Probate

Collecting assets

Distributing assess

Finalising tax return and estate accounts

MOTORING OFFENCES

The fee estimates provided below relate only to minor road traffic offences which are heard in a Magistrates’ Court.

Costs Information

Our fees are charged on an hourly basis. The hourly rates of our staff who may be working on your file are:-
Solicitor: £350 + VAT per hour
Senior Paralegals/Trainee Solicitors: £150 + VAT per hour.

Guilty Plea Motoring offence (Summary Only)

£1,500.00 plus VAT (at a rate of 20%) plus disbursements, this includes one attendance for instructions and advice on plea, mitigation and likely sentence, and representation at one hearing only. This is for Cambridgeshire courts only. Attendance at other Courts will include charges at our hourly rate of £350.00 plus VAT (at a rate of 20%).

Additional costs:

Taking statements from any witnesses

Representation or further advice to any appeal

Likely disbursements are for mileage and car parking, medical reports and expert reports.

Non-Guilty Plea Motoring offence (Trial) (Summary Only)

£3,000.00 plus VAT (at a rate of 20%) plus disbursements, this includes two attendances, one for instructions and advice and one for preparation of a proof of evidence, and representation at one plea hearing and one day Trial. This is for Cambridgeshire Courts only. Attendance at other Courts will include charges at our hourly rate of £350.00 plus VAT (at a rate of 20%).

Likely disbursements are for mileage and car parking, medical reports, expert reports on blood alcohol or drug contents, expert reports on traffic accidents and barristers fees for representation at Court.

The first hearing will be for the plea and trial scheduling, while the second will be the trial itself. If convicted, the Court typically aims to sentence on the same day; however, in some cases, a third hearing may be necessary for sentencing. The trial is generally scheduled within three months of the plea, though this may vary depending on witness availability and Court scheduling.

Either way Offences & Indictable Only Offences

Representation will be charged at an hourly rate of £350.00 plus VAT (at a rate of 20%). It may be possible to agree fee limits and to fix fees depending on the work involved, this can be discussed and agreed at initial interview.

Likely disbursements are for mileage and car parking, medical reports, expert reports on blood alcohol or drug contents, or expert reports on traffic accidents and barrister’s fees for representation at Court.

Disbursement Information

Disbursements are payment to third parties. These are typically additional travel expenses if we need to attend court and will depend on the court’s location. Generally, these are less than £50. Other disbursement will be cost of photocopying (10p per page), posting (FirstClass Signed costs).

Key Stages

The key stages of your matter are usually as follows:
•⁠ ⁠Initial meeting with the solicitor where we will take your instructions on what happened
•⁠ ⁠We will consider the evidence and provide you with legal advice/opinion
•⁠ ⁠We will explain the court procedure to you and advise you what to expect
•⁠ ⁠We will discuss the sentencing options available
•⁠ ⁠We will complete any preparatory work ahead of the hearing
•⁠ ⁠We will answer any follow up queries you have.
•⁠ ⁠We cannot provide a timescale of when your hearing will take place, as this depends on the court listing for that day.
•⁠ ⁠We will attend court on the day and meet with you before going before the court. We will anticipate being at court approximately 30 minutes before your hearing. If we are unable to attend court, we will instruct Counsel to attend.
•⁠ ⁠We will discuss the outcome with you and advise you on the merits of an appeal.

Timescales

We cannot provide an accurate time scale of when your case will be heard as this depends on the Court’s listing process. Most cases involving a guilty plea will conclude between 4 and 10 weeks from when you received the summons or were charged.

Experience and Qualifications

Dr Paul Chu Chiy: LLB, LLM, Called to the bar of England and Wales, +10 years of experience
Nicole Papantoniou: LLB, BPTC, Called to bar of England and Wales, 4 years experience

IMMIGRATION

The below does not encompass all types of visas and does not amount to a fixed fee.

Costs Information

ur legal fees are based on the complexity of your individual case and agreed in advance with you. Our legal fees are calculated on an hourly rate depending on the fee earner assigned to your case. The hourly rates are as follows:

Solicitors: £350 + VAT
Paralegals/Trainee Solicitors: £ 150 + VAT

Fees which may be payable to the Home Office or other authorities in connection with your case do not form part of our legal fees and are payable separately.

Below we have set out average fees for certain visa types.

Tier 1	£5,000 – £15,000
Tier 2	£1,500 – £5,000
Tier 4	£1,500 – £5,000
Tier 5	£1,500 – £3,500
Ancestry Visa	£2,500 – £5,500
Settlement in the UK (Indefinite Leave to remain) non-Points Based System	£2,500 - £8,000
Settlement in the UK (Indefinite Leave to remain) Points Based System	£2,500 - £15,000
Dependent relative and family reunion applications	£5,000 - £10,000
Standard Visitor	£2,000 - £5,000
Overseas Domestic Worker visa	£5,000 - £10,000
Applications for British Citizenship	£2,000 - £5,000

If you chose to instruct us, we will be able to give you more specific costs advice.

Services Included in the Price

The work which we will usually carry out and which is considered in the fee estimate includes:

Taking instructions from you and
Discussing your circumstances and advising on the most appropriate application for you to make
Advising on the requirement of the Immigration Rules, whether you meet the requirements, and if you do not, if any remedial action can be undertaken
Providing you with a list of necessary documents in information needed to support your application
Considering the evidence you have provided
Preparing the relevant application and submitting them
Booking any necessary appointments
Drafting a covering letter in support of your application
Liaising with the Home Office regarding your application where necessary
Advising you on the outcome of you application

Services Not Included

The above quotes estimate does not contain costs as to advice and assistance in any appeal if the Home Office refuses your application. The quotes do not also include disbursements.

Disbursement Information

Disbursements are costs associated to your proposed application which are payable to third parties.The most common disbursement fees are as follows:

•⁠ ⁠Home Office visa application fee
•⁠ ⁠Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) (if applicable)
•⁠ ⁠Biometrics fee (if applying from inside the UK)
•⁠ ⁠English language test fee (if required)
•⁠ ⁠Life in the UK test fee (if required)
•⁠ ⁠Criminal Record Certificate
•⁠ ⁠Interpreter fees
•⁠ ⁠Translation fees
•⁠ ⁠Independent expert reports

Timescales and Key Stages

All applications differ and the exact number of hours it will take to prepare you application will depend on the individual circumstances of your case. This includes:

Complexity of your case
Time it takes you to collect and provide us with the required documentation needed in support of your application
Urgency of you application
Whether its an initial application or an extension
If we need to liaise with third parties such as medical experts and whether expert reports are required
If Counsel needs to be instructed to provide written advice

We cannot guarantee how long the Home Office will take to process you application. The Home Office has set out their service standards here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration/about-our-services

We are normally able to submit applications within 1-2 weeks of you instructing us, but can submit applications much quicker than this if required.

Experience and Qualifications

•⁠ ⁠Dr Paul Chu Chiy: LLB, LLM, Called to the bar of England and Wales, +10 years of experience
•⁠ ⁠Nicole Papantoniou: LLB, BPTC, Called to the Bar of England and Wales, 4 years experience

EMPLOYMENT

Basis of Cost Information

Our advice and fees are tailored to each client’s circumstances, depending on the evidence that is available.

As a guidance we have below provided an estimate of the level of fees that you can expect to pay for bringing and defending claims for unfair, wrongful dismissal, discrimination and whistleblowing.

Step 1: Document Submission

• 30 p per document to be itemised

Step 2: First Interview

• Telephone Call: An initial telephone call will be arranged to discuss your issue in detail.
• Prerequisite: Be prepared to provide a clear and detailed narrative of your issue with your employer, in the order that events occur.
• Fees: The fee for this stage will be charged at your Representative’s hourly rates of £150 + VAT per hour.

Step 3: Assessing the merits of your claim

• The Representative will need to assess the merits of your claim. This will be in the form of a legal opinion/advice.
• Fees: The fee for this stage will be charged at your Representative’s hourly rates of £350 + VAT per hour.

Step 4: Assessing the Losses

• Financial Losses: Your financial losses will be calculated in order to obtain the amount of losses you are entitled to.
• Schedule of Loss: After the losses have been assessed, we will draft the Schedule of Losses which will accompany your Claim Form and will be submitted to the Tribunal.
• Telephone Call: A telephone call will be arranged in order to review the Schedule of Loss.
• Fees: The fee for this stage will be charged at your Representative’s hourly rates of £150 + VAT or £350+VAT per hour depending on the complexity of the matter.

Step 5: Drafting of the Particulars of the Claim Form

• A thorough and detailed summary of your claim will be drafted, which will accompany the Claim Form.
• Fees: The fee for this stage will be charged at your Representative’s hourly rates of £150 + VAT or £350+VAT per hour, depending on the complexity of the matter.

Step 6: Review and Submission of the Claim Form

• Telephone Call: A telephone call will be arranged in order for you and your representative to review the Claim Form prior to submission.
• Submission of Claim Form: Upon review of the Claim Form, pending any final amendments, the Claim Form will be submitted to the Employment Tribunal.
• Fees: The fee for this stage will be charged at your Representative’s hourly rates of £150 + VAT per hour.

Following completion of the initial steps depending on the merits of the case, a no win no fee agreement will be signed between the client and the lawyer.

As a guidance, costs incurred average the following:

Simple Case: estimated costs between £5000 - £12,000 (excluding VAT)

Medium complexity case: £9,000 - £16,000 (excluding VAT)

High complexity case: £15,000 - £30,000 (excluding VAT)

De Jure Chambers’s fees upon which a success fee will be calculated (“the normal fees”) will be calculated as follows:

For work charged at an hourly rate (such as preparatory work, advisory work or conferences): £350+VAT per hour is £200 plus VAT

For representation at hearings:
- for hearings listed for one hour or less: £750+ VAT;
- for hearings listed between one hour and half-a-day: £1500+VAT;
- for hearings listed for one to four days: £2500+VAT.

VAT will be charged at the Prevailing rate (20%).

LAWYER’S SUCCESS FEE

The rate of De Jure Chambers’ success fee will be 100% of the normal fees.
Success fee cannot be recovered from the opponent.

LAWYER’S ENTITLEMENT TO FEES

In the event of success the client will pay De Jure Chambers their normal fees, whether or not these are recovered from the opponent, and their success fees.
If the case ends without success, then De Jure Chambers is not entitled to any fees.

EXPENSES

De Jure Chambers shall be entitled to their reasonable expenses (such as travelling and accommodation expenses or other disbursements):

• whether or not the Claim ends in success;
• provided they have been agreed with the client.

PAYMENT OF FEES AND EXPENSES BY THE CLIENT TO THE LAWYER

Upon success the client will pay to De Jure Chambers the sum due under this agreement within 28 days. The client shall pay De Jure Chambers any expenses to which the De Jure Chambers is entitled either:

• in advance of the expense being incurred if De Jure Chambers and the client agree that they shall be paid in advance, in which case the date for payment will be as set out in the client care letter;
• otherwise within 28 days of the expense being incurred.

The amount of fees or expenses payable to De Jure Chambers under this agreement are:

• not limited by reference to any award of costs made in favour of the client;
• payable whether or not the client recovers money from his opponent to cover De Jure Chambers’ fees and expenses.
If any sum due to De Jure Chambers is not paid within 28 days the client will pay interest on the outstanding amount calculated at the judgment debt rate from the date that the payment should have been made.

Disbursement Information

Disbursements are tribunal costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties. Our solicitors handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

The most common disbursements are as follows:

• Travel expenses
• Photocopying fees (all will be charged plus VAT at 20%) are estimated at:

1. A4 black and white = 10-14p per page
2. A3 black and white = 18-30p per page
3. A4 colour = 40-60p per page
4. A3 colour = 80-120p per page

• Bundling
• Postage fees for bundles to the ET and Respondent
• Postage fees for any other Tribunal documentation the ET

For Counsel Fees cost estimations are as follows:

• For low to medium complexity matters fees will estimate between £1,500+VAT-£2,500+VAT for attending a tribunal hearing and preperation.

• For high complexity matters, fees will estimate between £3,400+VAT-£4,000+VAT per day for attending a tribunal hearing and preparation.

Experience and Qualification

Nicole Papantoniou- LLB, BPTC, called to the bar of England and Wales, 4 years experience
Dr Paul Chu Chiy – LLB, LLM, called to the bar of England and Wales, +10 years of experience

DEBT RECOVERY

Costs Information

Our legal fees are based on the complexity of your individual case and agreed in advance with you. The hourly rates of our staff who may be working on your file are:-
Solicitor: £350 + VAT per hour
Senior Paralegals/Trainee Solicitors: £150 + VAT per hour.

Out costs estimates apply in cases where the debt recovery is in relation to an unpaid invoice which is not disputed and enforcement action is not needed. On average this type of work will take between 5 to 50 hours to complete. This means average costs ranging from £1,500 to £15,000 (excluding VAT and any disbursements).

If you chose to instruct us, we will be able to give you more specific costs advice.

Services Included in the Price

The work which we will usually carry out and which is considered in the fee estimate includes:

Taking your instruction and reviewing documentation
Undertaking appropriate searches
Sending a letter before action
Receiving payment and sending onto you, or if the debt is not paid, drafting and issuing the claim
Where no Acknowledgement of Service of Defence is received, applying to the Court to enter Judgment in default
When Judgment in default in received, writing to the other side to request payment
If payment is not received within an agreed specified timeframe, providing you with advice on next steps and likely costs

Services Not Included

The services not included in the above estimates are costs for enforcement of a judgment, additional applications, costs of other parties that the court may order you to pay, additional costs of your claim is disputed, costs for advice and appeal in case your claim was dismissed.

Disbursements will be further charged during your case. These are costs payable to third parties, such as court fees, expert fees, mediator’s fees, or fees for instructing counsel. There will also be additional costs for enforcement action payable to the court.

Court hearing fees are set out below:

Claim amount	Fees
Up to £300	£35
£300.01 to £500	£50
£500.01 to £1,000	£70
£1,000.01 to £1,500	£80
£1,500.01 to £3,000	£115
£3,000.01 to £5,000	£205
£5,000.01 to £10,000	£455
£10,000.01 to £200,000	5% of the claim
More than £200,000	£10,000

Timescales and Key Stages

Stage 1: Letter Before Action

Prior to issuing legal proceedings and in accordance with Pre-Action Protocol a Letter Before Action (also known as a Pre-Action Letter) must be issued. This is a formal letter that sets out the following terms:

•⁠ ⁠What is owed from the debtor to you.
•⁠ ⁠How long the debtor has to pay (7 to 14 days in most cases)
•⁠ ⁠Sets out and informs the debtor what the consequences of not paying are

Stage 2: Legal Action

Should you receive an unacceptable reply, or no reply at all, from the debtor the next stage is issuing court proceedings at the County Court. A court form will be sent to the debtor demanding them to pay the debt with interest and costs within 14 days. A fixed-fee compensation will occur with this. On average the fixed fee will be between £40-£100 per invoice being added to the overall claim.

Stage 3: Judgement

A County Court Judgment is also known as a Court Order which confirms that the debtor is liable to pay your debt. Following the expiration of the County Court Claim the County Court Judgement can be obtained. This Judgement allows you to take enforcement account against the debtor to recover the debt owed. The Judgement is also placed on record against the debtor, affecting credit worthiness and their ability to obtain credit.

Stage 4: Enforcement

Upon obtaining the County Court Judgement, you can ‘enforce’ the debt. There are various avenues to enforce debt recovery such as am attachment of earnings order. However, the most common method is instructing a Bailiff or High Court Enforcement Officer to visit the debtors address and collect the debt or service goods to the value of the debt.

Conclusion: We will always advise you the best method of enforcement depending on each individual circumstance.

VAT

All of the estimate fees indicated below are exclusive of VAT. VAT is applicable at the standard rate of 20% and will be charged when we bill you.

VAT on any disbursements will be discussed with you before incurring the disbursement. Whether VAT in included and/or payable on a disbursement will depend on individual circumstances.