Services and fees

What we do, what it costs, and when you pay.

Every figure below is a real starting price, not a teaser. VAT at 20 per cent and any payments we make on your behalf are shown separately, and both appear in full on your written quote.

I am moving house

Buying or selling a home

Fixed fee residential conveyancing, quoted in full before you instruct us. Freehold, leasehold, new build, shared ownership and transfers of equity.

  • Your file is handled by one conveyancer, named on your quote
  • Weekly update every Thursday, by email or phone, your choice
  • No completion, no legal fee on a purchase that falls through
  1. Day 1
    Quote and file opened

    You get a written quote with every disbursement listed. Once you accept, we open the file the same day and send your ID checks.

  2. Week 1 to 3
    Contract pack and searches

    Searches ordered within 48 hours of your payment on account. On a sale, the contract pack goes out within five working days.

  3. Week 3 to 8
    Enquiries and report

    We raise enquiries, chase the other side twice a week, and send you a plain English report on title before anything is signed.

  4. Exchange
    Dates agreed in writing

    Completion date agreed by the whole chain before contracts are exchanged. Deposit sent, no date moves after this point.

  5. Completion
    Keys and registration

    Funds sent first thing, keys released by lunchtime in most cases. Stamp duty filed within 14 days, Land Registry application within four weeks.

from £795fixed fee plus VAT and disbursementsAsk about this

My relationship has ended

Divorce and finances

Divorce, separation, financial settlements and consent orders. Resolution members, so we work to settle rather than to escalate.

  • First meeting is 45 minutes for £75, offset against your fee if you instruct us
  • Mediation first wherever it is safe and sensible
  • Court fee of £612 and any expert costs are quoted separately
  1. Meeting 1
    Where you stand

    We take the facts, explain the options and give you a written estimate of cost and timescale before you commit to anything.

  2. Weeks 1 to 4
    Application and disclosure

    The divorce application is filed online. In parallel we exchange financial disclosure on Form E so the money conversation starts on real numbers.

  3. Months 2 to 5
    Negotiation or mediation

    Most of our cases settle here. You approve every offer before it leaves this office, and you see the other side's reply the day it arrives.

  4. Month 6
    Consent order

    A judge approves the financial agreement so it is binding and the claims are closed. Conditional order to final order takes a further six weeks and a day.

from £1,200fixed fee for an uncontested divorce, or £245 per hour plus VATAsk about this

We disagree about the children

Arrangements for children

Child arrangements, schooling and relocation disputes. We keep the temperature down and the child at the centre of the file.

  • MIAM appointment arranged within ten days
  • A written parenting plan you can both actually follow
  • Urgent applications the same week where a child is at risk
  1. Week 1
    Advice and safeguarding

    We check first whether mediation is safe and appropriate. If it is not, we say so and go straight to an application.

  2. Weeks 2 to 6
    Mediation or negotiation

    Sessions with an accredited mediator, with us advising you between sessions so you are never negotiating blind.

  3. If needed
    Court application

    C100 application, then a first hearing usually six to eight weeks later. Cafcass speak to both parents before that hearing.

  4. Outcome
    Order or agreement

    Either a child arrangements order or a signed parenting plan, plus a review date so small problems do not become new cases.

from £850fixed fee for a mediated agreement, or £245 per hour plus VATAsk about this

I need to plan ahead, or deal with an estate

Wills, probate and power of attorney

Wills, lasting powers of attorney, trusts and full estate administration. Home visits across Norfolk at no extra charge.

  • Estate administration quoted as a fixed fee, not a percentage of the estate
  • Home and care home visits within 20 miles of Norwich are free
  • Wills stored in our strongroom at no charge, with a copy for you
  1. Meeting 1
    What you own and who it goes to

    One hour, at our office or your kitchen table. We ask about property, pensions, business interests and anyone who might make a claim.

  2. Within 10 days
    Draft to you

    A draft in plain English with a note explaining each clause. Two rounds of changes are included in the fee.

  3. Signing
    Witnessed properly

    Signed at the office with two independent witnesses, or at your home. This is where most home made wills fail.

  4. Probate
    Estate administration

    For an estate we obtain the grant, deal with HMRC, collect the assets and account to the beneficiaries. Typical timescale is six to nine months.

from £180single will £180, mirror wills £280, LPA £400 for a pair, all plus VATAsk about this

Something has gone wrong at work

Employment problems

Settlement agreements, unfair dismissal, discrimination and grievances. We act for employees and for small employers, never for both in the same matter.

  • Settlement agreement reviewed and signed off within two working days
  • Tribunal deadline is three months less one day, so call early
  • Fixed fee for the ACAS early conciliation stage
  1. Day 1
    Read the paperwork

    Send us the agreement, contract and any correspondence. We tell you the same day whether the offer is fair and what is missing.

  2. Days 2 to 3
    Advice and signature

    A short call, then we sign the adviser certificate. Most employers pay our fee directly, so it costs you nothing.

  3. If you dispute it
    ACAS early conciliation

    A compulsory step before any tribunal claim. It lasts up to six weeks and settles a good share of cases without a hearing.

  4. Tribunal
    Claim and hearing

    ET1 filed inside the deadline, then a preliminary hearing. We give you a written costs estimate for each stage before it starts.

from £350settlement agreement advice, usually paid by your employerAsk about this

I am in a dispute with someone

Disputes and debts

Contract disputes, unpaid invoices, boundaries, landlord and tenant, professional negligence. We start with the letter that settles it.

  • A one hour review with a written view on merits and cost before you spend a penny more
  • Letters before action drafted to the Practice Direction so they carry weight
  • We will tell you when a claim is not worth bringing
  1. Week 1
    Merits review

    You send the file, we give you a written view: what you can prove, what it is likely to be worth, and what it will cost to find out.

  2. Week 2
    Letter before action

    A compliant letter with a deadline. Around half of our debt and contract matters are paid or settled at this stage.

  3. Weeks 4 to 12
    Negotiation or mediation

    Without prejudice offers, then mediation if the sums justify it. Courts expect you to have tried, and they penalise parties who refuse.

  4. Claim
    Issue and directions

    If it has to be issued, we set a budget with you first. Small claims under £10,000 rarely justify solicitors on both sides and we will say so.

from £150fixed fee first review, then £245 per hour plus VATAsk about this

Conveyancing calculator

Your move, priced to the pound.

Set the price and the tenure and you will see our fixed fee, the VAT, the searches, the Land Registry fee and the stamp duty you will owe. Nothing here is an estimate we later revise upwards.

Selling as well as buying? Choose that and the fee covers both files, which is cheaper than instructing two firms and far easier to chase.

Fixed fee quote£7,804including stamp duty and everything we pay on your behalf
What are you doing?
Tenure
Legal fee£895
VAT at 20%£179
Identity checks, two people£24
Bank transfer fee£36
Local, water and environmental searches£320
Land Registry fee£100
Stamp duty land tax£6,250
Total to complete£7,804

Worked out from our published scale. Stamp duty is the England and Northern Ireland residential rate and assumes this is not an additional property. Your written quote confirms every figure before you instruct us.

Questions

The things people ask before they instruct us.

Not for a general enquiry. We will tell you on the phone whether we can help, roughly what it costs and how long it takes. Family matters have a fixed £75 first meeting of 45 minutes, offset against your fee if you go ahead.

Not sure which of these you need?

Describe it in your own words. Sorting out which area of law it falls into is our job, not yours.

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Services and fees · Marsh & Bell Solicitors