Welcome to Geldards pricing and service page. Here you will find information in relation to the following areas:
If you are looking for assistance in relation to any of these five areas, the relevant guide/s will provide you with a clear understanding of the costs and related services involved together with contact details.
Chasing late payment takes time and resources. Most businesses operate a tight ship and persistent non-payers can seriously affect a business’ cash flow and ultimately its profits. Furthermore, if the situation is neglected, it can also impact on your business’ overall financial standing.
Debt recovery requires a considered ‘project management’ approach. The method, speed and manner of the recovery must be fully scoped, planned, managed and costed but flexibility is key as circumstances often change during the recovery process. Geldards’ specialist debt recovery team have a market-leading reputation for delivering effective and speedy debt recovery solutions for clients and debts of all sizes. We have an experienced team who are commercially aware and sensitive to your particular needs and who will work alongside you and recommend the most cost-effective means of securing payment of your debt.
The costs set out below relate to a business to business debt of up to £100,000 and will apply if your claim is in relation to a debt that is not defended and/or enforcement action and/or insolvency proceedings are not needed. If your claim is defended and/or enforcement action and/or insolvency proceedings are necessary at any point, we will discuss any further work required and will provide you with revised advice about costs, which could be on a fixed fee or an hourly rate, if more extensive work is needed.
| Our fees and other costs | Maximum VAT at 20% |
| Commission of up to 25% of sums recovered – average commission 17.5%* | As per the level of commission charged |
| Searches (if needed): | |
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| Initial letter to your customer – up to £150.00 | £30.00 |
| Pre-legal aborted file fee*** – up to £75.00 | £15.00 |
*The rate of commission charged will depend on the size of debt, volume of instructions, repeat business, etc, and will be agreed upon with you at the outset of your matter.
** You may not be charged this fee in certain circumstances, e.g. there has not been a successful trace.
*** If you instruct us to close our file because it is no longer viable to pursue the claim, we may charge this fee to cover some of our time-costs incurred.
| Maximum charges | |||||
| Potentially recoverable from your customer | Not recoverable from your customer | VAT at 20% | Total | ||
| Debt value | Court fee | Our fee + VAT (“fixed costs”) | Our fee + VAT (“preparation costs”) | ||
| £25 – £300 | £35.00 | £50.00 | up to £100.00 | £30.00 | £215.00 |
| £301 – 500 | £50.00 | £50.00 | up to £100.00 | £30.00 | £230.00 |
| £501 – 1,000 | £70.00 | £70.00 | up to £150.00 | £44.00 | £334.00 |
| £1,001 – 1,500 | £80.00 | £80.00 | up to £150.00 | £46.00 | £356.00 |
| £1,500 – 3,000 | £115.00 | £80.00 | up to £200.00 | £56.00 | £451.00 |
| £3,001 – 5,000 | £205.00 | £80.00 | up to £200.00 | £56.00 | £541.00 |
| £5,001 – 10,000 | £455.00 | £100.00 | up to £225.00 | £65.00 | £845.00 |
| £10,001+ | 5% debt value | £100.00 | * | * | * |
* This will vary depending upon the court fee which is based upon debt value at this level.
* Claims above £10,001 we will provide a quote and discuss with you.
| Recoverable from your customer | Not recoverable from your customer | Maximum VAT at 20% | Total | |
| Debt value | Our fee + VAT (“fixed costs”) | Our fee + VAT (“preparation costs”) | ||
| £25 – 5,000 | £22.00 | up to £75.00 | £19.40 | £116.40 |
| £5,001 and above | £30.00 | up to £75.00 | £21.00 | £126.00 |
If you wish to proceed with a claim you should note that:
We aim to set up an account and send the initial letter to your customer within 48 hours of receipt of your instructions. Straightforward matters may settle in full within days or a couple of weeks of your instructions, however, more complex cases, or cases requiring negotiated settlement terms, may take several months to conclude.
Paul Hopkins, Partner
T: +44 (0)29 2039 1727
E: paul.hopkins@geldards.com
Paul is a partner and head of the Commercial Dispute Resolution Team in Cardiff. He qualified as a Solicitor in 1987 and has expertise in handling high value, large and complex cases including debt recovery. He was a director of Go Debt Limited between 2000 – 2015 and supervises the Debt Recovery Team in Cardiff.
Nino Simone, Partner
T: +44 (0)1332 378 320
E: nino.simone@geldards.com
Nino is a partner and head of the Commercial Dispute Resolution Team in the Midlands. He qualified as a Solicitor in 1991 and has expertise in handling high value, large and complex cases, including debt recovery. He supervises Lewis Adamson.
Michael Evans, Partner
T: +44 (0)29 2039 1736
E: michael.evans@geldards.com
Michael is a responsive, experienced commercial litigation solicitor, providing tailored, practical and effective dispute resolution advice. Michael advises national and regional businesses and public bodies on a wide range of commercial disputes including contracts, competition, professional negligence and banking claims. He has worked on multiple large-scale, high-value, multi-party disputes and also advises on international issues. Michael qualified as a solicitor in 2010.
Lewis Adamson, Associate
T: +44 (0)1332 378 337
E: lewis.adamson@geldards.com
Lewis qualified as a Solicitor in 2018 and specialises in Dispute Resolution and Litigation. Lewis has experience of dealing with County Court proceedings, mediation and debt recovery matters.
Rhys Thompson, Solicitor
T: +44 (0)29 2039 1806
E: rhys.thompson@geldards.com
Rhys qualified as a solicitor in 2020 and is experienced in advising and assisting on cases involving private, public and third sector clients (both UK-based and international). Cases include a range of contentious commercial matters including; director and shareholder disputes, professional negligence claims, general contractual disputes, intellectual property disputes, competition law disputes and general insolvency and debt recovery matters.
James Kalicinski, Legal Assistant
T: +44 (0)29 2038 6543
E: james.kalicinski@geldards.com
James is a legal assistant with over 12 years’ experience in the debt collection industry specialising in dispute resolution, commercial debt, civil litigation and insolvency. James is currently part-way through his CILEX law studies and has obtained a certificate in law and practice.
We are committed to providing reliable, effective and expert services to all clients and are certified under the ISO 9001 Quality Management System.
Paul Hopkins supervises the Debt Recovery Team which is based at our Cardiff Office. Nino Simone supervises the debt recovery work carried out at our Midlands Offices.
Geldards employment team’s expertise extends across contentious and non-contentious issues and our clients include businesses, public sector organisations, entrepreneurs, senior directors and employees. We aim to make life easier for our clients and our practical approach seeks to resolve issues before they get to the stage of a costly employment tribunal. We recognise however that in certain circumstances legal action is required, and it will be necessary to bring or defend claims in the employment tribunal.
We have set out below our pricing structure regarding the provision of advice and representation to employees and employers in relation to the bringing or defending of claims before the Employment Tribunal for unfair or wrongful dismissal. This includes the costs of entering into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory. Please note therefore that our pricing structure in relation to any non-mandatory pre-claim conciliation stage falls outside the scope of this information and you will be provided with an individual cost estimate in this regard at the outset of your matter.
Our pricing structure for bringing and defending claims for unfair and/or wrongful dismissal is as follows:
For attending a tribunal hearing lasting longer than those indicated above there will be an additional charge of £2,500 (with additional VAT of £533) per day.
In the majority of cases, these costs will include the solicitor who is dealing with your case conducting the advocacy for case management and preliminary hearings. For the final merits hearings, particularly in relation to high complexity cases, instructing a barrister to do the advocacy could be more appropriate. In such cases there will be an additional cost involved in instructing a barrister, see the ‘Disbursements or other costs that can be expected’ section below for details.
We charge by reference to the amount of time taken to undertake the work needed at the relevant hourly rates of the team members involved. Relevant hourly rates range in accordance with the following:
The lowest and highest ends of the range relate to trainee solicitors and partners respectively and the hourly rate applicable to your mater will depend upon who in the team is appointed on your behalf. This will be discussed and agreed with you. Please see ‘Team Profiles’ section for further details.
You may have other funding options available, such as cover under an insurance policy, and we will discuss these options with you at your first appointment.
The factors that could make a case more complex include:
The fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:
The stages set out above are an indication only, and if some of the stages above are not required, the fee will be reduced.
You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged to suit your individual needs.
As well as our fees, you may need to pay disbursements which are costs related to your matter that are payable, such as court fees, barrister fees or travel fees where it is necessary to travel a long distance to the final hearing. Where applicable disbursements will be subject to VAT at 20%. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process and will look to you either to provide us with funds in advance or to reimburse us separately.
Where it is necessary to instruct a barrister in relation to your claim, the barrister will charge a brief fee and a daily rate for attending a tribunal hearing which will be in addition to our costs (as outlined above). The barrister’s fees will depend upon their level of seniority and the complexity of the case. On average, in cases that reach a final hearing before a tribunal, which are reasonably straightforward the barrister’s fee will be in the region of £1000 – £2,000 (plus VAT of £200 – £400) for the first day of the hearing and £750 – £1100 (Plus VAT of £150 – £220) for each day after that. The barrister’s time in preparing for the hearing is included in that amount. We will discuss the options for instructing a barrister and the likely cost of doing so as appropriate.
The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take 2 – 6 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a final hearing, your case is likely to take 26 – 52 weeks or longer depending upon the caseload of the tribunal and where the claim has been lodged. Depending on the complexity of the case, an Employment Tribunal hearing can last between one and multiple days. It is possible to reach a resolution at any time before the final hearing through a settlement via ACAS. This is just an estimate and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.
Lowri Phillips, Partner
T: +44 (0)29 2039 1758
E: lowri.phillips@geldards.com
Lowri qualified as a solicitor in 1998 and has over 20 years’ knowledge and hands-on experience in all aspects of employment law, advising clients on contentious matters. She is an experienced advocate and has represented clients in relation to various types of employment claims, including unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal, at all stages of the claim and represented clients in Employment Tribunals, the Employment Appeal Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, undertaking advocacy up to Employment Tribunal level.
Helen Snow, Partner
T: +44 (0)29 2039 1497
E: helen.snow@geldards.com
Helen qualified as a solicitor in 2005 and is an experienced employment lawyer advising clients on all aspects of employment law including unfair and wrongful dismissal claims. Helen is experienced in dealing with all stages of the claim and has represented clients on numerous occasions in Employment Tribunals and in the Employment Appeal Tribunal, undertaking advocacy up to Employment Tribunal level.
Joga Singh, Partner
T: +44 (0)29 2038 6549
E: joga.singh@geldards.com
Joga qualified as a solicitor in 2006 and is an experienced employment lawyer. He has represented clients in relation to various types of employment claims, including unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal, at all stages of the claim and regularly represents clients in preliminary and substantive hearings in the Employment Tribunal.
Rachel Mills, Senior Associate
T: +44 (0)1332 254 123
E: rachel.mills@geldards.com
Rachel qualified as a solicitor in 2001 and advises clients on a range of employment issues. She has dealt with numerous employment tribunal claims on behalf of clients in relation to a wide range of issues, including an unfair and wrongful dismissal. Rachel has represented clients on numerous occasions in Employment Tribunal and in the Employment Appeal Tribunal, undertaking advocacy up to Employment Tribunal level.
Ramyar Hassan, Solicitor
T: +44 (0)29 2038 1865
E: ramyar.hassan@geldards.com
Ramyar joined the Employment Team as a Solicitor after qualifying in November 2020. Prior to qualification, Ram spent six months of this Training Contract in the employment department assisting the team with a wide variety of matters, including drafting tribunal documentation, employment contracts, policies and settlement agreements along with providing general assistance to the team on both contentious and non-contentious employment law and information law matters.
Trainee Solicitors
The team will generally have the assistance of trainee solicitors and, again generally, there will be different trainee solicitors in the team approximately every 6 months. In the event of a trainee solicitor carrying out (under appropriate supervision) any work in respect of your matter then you will be provided with their details.
We are committed to providing reliable, effective and expert services to all clients and are certified under the ISO 9001 Quality Management System.
The team operates out of offices in both Cardiff and the Midlands and is supervised by Lowri Phillips. Lowri is a partner based in Cardiff.
Geldards Private Client team has many years of collective experience in helping individuals and families at a time of bereavement and dealing effectively and empathetically with all matters relating to wills and estate administration and inheritance tax. We tailor our services to meet your requirements. Rather than a call-centre approach, we have individual team members dedicated to your matter and who will work closely with you and keep you updated as the estate administration progresses. As well as providing an efficient service for straightforward estates, our specialist team regularly deals with high value and complex matters.
If you are a lay executor, the cost of having professional help with the estate administration process is usually payable from the estate and can save you a lot of time as well as providing you and the beneficiaries with peace of mind. Having expert input early on means any potential issues can be spotted and addressed in an appropriate way and all relevant tax allowances claimed to offset inheritance tax. There may even be scope for onward estate planning by rearranging an inheritance with a deed of variation within two years of the death of the deceased, to save significant tax now or in the long run.
We have set out below our pricing structure in relation to applying for the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration and the collection and distribution of assets belonging to a person following their death, where these are within the UK and the matters are not contested. The fee estimate detailed below is for the work involved in dealing with an estate administration from start to finish. This estimate is for a straightforward estate where:
We anticipate the work involved in these circumstances will take between 14 – 18 hours work, which would be carried out in accordance with the estimated timeframes mentioned below, with overall fees between £3,900 (plus VAT) – £6,250 (plus VAT). VAT is currently chargeable at 20%. Please see the ‘Basis of our charges’ section below for further details.
Disbursements are costs relating to your matter which are payable to third parties. In relation to a straightforward probate matter, typically these will be:
We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. The disbursements are then added to the firm’s invoice and are payable from the estate.
The exact amount of our fees and disbursements will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property our fees will be at the lower end of the range (or maybe less than this if you only wish us to help you with part of the process). If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, our fees will be higher than the range indicated.
Circumstances in which there are likely to be additional costs include:
We will be able to give you a specific estimate once we have more information about the estate.
We charge by reference to the amount of time taken to undertake the work needed at the relevant hourly rates of the team members involved (see below). We do not charge by reference to the value of the estate. As a broad guide, in our experience, our fees exclusive of VAT do not tend to exceed 3% of the gross value of an estate (this is only a very broad rule of thumb as some estates may be high in value but relatively simple to administer, conversely some estates may be quite complex to administer, because of the number of accounts and other assets or because of the number of beneficiaries, even though the overall value involved is relatively modest).
Relevant hourly rates range between £190 (plus VAT) – £375 (plus VAT)
The lowest and highest ends of the range relate to legal assistants and partners respectively and the hourly rate applicable to your matter will depend upon who in the team is appointed on your behalf. Please see ‘Team Profiles’ section for further details.
A specific estimate will be provided to you following on from an initial meeting or discussion with you, to find out more from you about the estate and circumstances and your requirements. We will then send you details of engagement setting out the scope of the work you have asked us to carry out and the estimate of our fees, and the circumstances in which our estimate may change, to confirm our instructions with you.
We may be able to offer fixed fee options depending on the circumstances and your requirements, (particularly if you are asking us to help you with a part of the estate administration process rather than all of it).
On average, the process of administering a straightforward estate within the parameters described above will take 6 months. This includes making enquiries to find out the date of death, the value of assets and liabilities in the estate, preparing the paperwork to apply for the Grant to allow the estate to be administered and waiting for the Probate Registry to issue this (typically 4 weeks from submission of the application), placing any statutory notices required, collecting in the assets and settling the liabilities of the estate, preparing estate accounts for approval by executors and main beneficiaries, making an informal settlement of any income tax arising on interest accruing during the estate administration and arranging distributions in accordance with the Will.
If the estate is more complex and particularly if inheritance tax is payable in the estate, the process will typically take between 9-18 months including taking into account waiting time for HMRC tax clearance.
Erica Thomson, Partner
T: +44 (0)115 983 3745
E: erica.thomson@geldards.com
Erica qualified as a solicitor in 1997 and is an experienced private client lawyer with over 15 years’ experience. She provides solutions for high net worth individuals including wealth preservation, later life planning and succession planning for individuals and business owners. Erica advises clients across the East Midlands on a full range of issues pertinent to their personal legal requirements including; wills, trusts, lifetime gifts and deeds along with the administration of complex estates and trusts.
Jaclyn Barnes, Partner
T: +44 (0)115 983 3747
E: jaclyn.barnes@geldards.com
Jackie is a Partner in Geldards’ Private Client team, advising clients on wills, tax and estate planning, estate administration, trust administration and court of protection matters. Jackie qualified as a solicitor in 2005 before joining Geldards the following year, having graduated from the University of Warwick in 2002. Jackie became a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners in 2008. Clients are often referred to Jackie by other professional advisers with whom she works to provide a joined-up approach to the client’s personal planning.
David Williams, Partner
T: +44 (0)115 983 3757
E: david.williams@geldards.com
David qualified as a solicitor in 1984 and has approaching thirty years’ experience in advising families and family businesses in wealth protection and succession planning. Having qualified as a lawyer, David ran a property development business and subsequently became general manager of a large building society. All that experience is put to good use in counselling clients in a strategic, common sense and thoughtful manner. One of David’s greatest skills is the ability to listen to clients and to get to the heart of what they are trying to achieve. David works with our large private client team, encompassing wills, trust, tax, family and property expertise to ensure that our clients receive a service that responds to all of their needs.
Anne Taylor, Senior Associate
T: +44 (0)29 2039 1779
E: anne.taylor@geldards.com
Anne is a Senior Associate and has over 10 years’ experience as a private client solicitor. She is highly experienced in all aspects of wills, trusts, powers of attorney and estate administration and leads a section of the team dedicated to effective trust and estate administration. A skilled wealth planner, Anne is a longstanding member of Camelot’s lottery advisory panel, providing expert advice and support to numerous winners over the years. She has worked closely with several very significant winners to implement effective long term personal planning strategies, and forged strong relationships as their trusted advisor. Anne is a full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and is on the committee of the STEP Wales branch.
She acts for both professional and lay executors in administering estates and has experience of dealing with high value estates, comprising of business and agricultural assets. Anne also carries out trust administration work.
Anne has developed a niche area of practice in relation to compensation protection and court of protection work (including high value statutory will and gift applications and contentious court of protection proceedings). She regularly has matters referred to her by other law firms and other professionals, who recognise her specialism and reputation in these areas (including the Official Solicitor).
Gillian Crouch, Senior Associate
T: +44 (0)29 2038 6547
E: gillian.crouch@geldards.com
Gillian is an experienced Senior Associate in the Probate and Estates administration section of the Private Client team. Although Gillian advises on all areas of private client work, she specialises in the effective administration of high-value estates, probate, complex trusts and matters and vulnerable beneficiary trusts.
Gillian acts for and advises lay executors and trustees, as well as dealing with estates where Geldards are appointed as executors, or act as Trustee via the Geldards Trust Corporation.
Gillian deals with numerous high-value trusts for vulnerable beneficiaries and works closely with the vulnerable person and those who support them. She puts in place investment strategies in conjunction with independent financial advice, to ensure that such benefit may be provided for the vulnerable person.
Gillian works closely with executors, trustees, beneficiaries and family members providing empathetic and pragmatic advice and support to her many clients.
Anne George, Consultant
T: +44 (0)29 2038 6538
E: anne.george@geldards.com
Anne is a wills and probate specialist solicitor with over 38 years’ experience.
She has acted as executor and trustee on many occasions, and has particular expertise in dealing with large and high value estates. Anne has also acted for generations of families in preparing wills, lasting powers of attorney and trusts, and is known for her sensitive and caring manner.
Prior to joining Geldards in February 2021, Anne was a partner in her own Swansea practice for several years before becoming a consultant at a central Swansea firm. She continues to be based in Swansea and remains available to meet with local clients.
Laura Ikin, Associate
T: +44 (0)29 2039 1862
E: laura.ikin@geldards.com
Laura qualified as a solicitor in 2012 and specialises in providing advice in relation to Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, trusts and tax and estate planning. She advises clients who wish to plan for later life to ensure their assets are passed on in accordance with their wishes, which can include the preparation of Wills, lifetime trust arrangements and Lasting Powers of Attorney along with providing Inheritance Tax advice. Laura has also advised many business owners on their estate planning, making sure their businesses are being passed on after their days in the most tax-efficient manner whilst taking into account provision for their families. Laura also regularly works in collaboration with financial advisers or accountants to provide a comprehensive and ‘joined up’ approach to client’s estate planning needs. Laura’s favourite part of her role is getting to know her clients and she prides herself on being able to make every client feel comfortable and at ease in discussing what can be complex or sensitive issues.
Zoe Lowe, Associate
T: +44 (0)29 2039 1869
E: zoe.lowe@geldards.com
Zoe works with the Private Client team in Cardiff, specialising in the administration of trusts and estates. A post-graduate of Cardiff University, Zoe joined Geldards in July 2017. Zoe worked as a paralegal before completing a training contract and qualifying as a solicitor in 2016.
Dervla Flynn, Associate
T: +44 (0)1332 378 324
E: dervla.flynn@geldards.com
Dervla is an experienced private client lawyer providing expert advice on Inheritance Tax Planning, Wills, Probate, Powers of Attorney and Court of Protection matters. A graduate of Queen’s University Belfast, Dervla is not only qualified to practise as a solicitor in England and Wales, but also in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. She has therefore gained a wealth of specialist and invaluable experience on cross border matters.
Hannah Jean, Associate
T: +44 (0)29 20320386525
E: hannh.jean@geldards.com
Hannah is able to undertake all aspects of private client work, including Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, tax and trust and estate administration. Hannah has particular expertise in estate administration and is used to having to work alongside other professionals such as accountants and surveyors to ensure more complex estates are administered as efficiently as possible.
Esther Trevelyan, Associate
T: +44 (0)29 2039 1892
E: esther.trevelyan@geldards.com
Esther is an associate with significant experience dealing with a broad range of Private Client matters. Esther has been a key member of the Top Ranked department for over seven years, which is noted for its “perfectly balanced professional but friendly advice.”
Esther’s main focus is Trust & Estate Administration, including high net worth and complex matters, as well as Urgent Grant Ad Colligenda Bona, applications to reseal Grants of Probate, and Court of Protection Applications.
Esther also provides day to day advice and assistance to lay Deputies, Trustees and Executors, dealing with complex reporting to the Office of the Public Guardian on their behalf. She also advises on Statutory Wills, Appointment of Trustees and applications for Deputies to live rent free in lieu of care provided.
Esther is also able to provide support with Personal Injury/ Compensation Protection Trusts, Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and EPA registrations.
Esther is a Swansea Law graduate having joined Geldards in 2015 and is currently in the process of completing her CILEX portfolio in order to qualify as a Chartered Legal Executive. Esther specialises in the administration of trusts and estates, Court of Protection work including Deputyship applications and providing day to day advice and assistance to lay Executors and Deputies and guiding them through the process. Esther also has experience with Statutory Will and appointment of Trustee applications, Compensation Protection Trusts, Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney. Esther prides herself on being a huge support for clients who are often going through difficult times.
Bianca Gregory, Legal Executive
T: +44 (0)1332 378 371
E: bianca.gregory@geldards.com
Bianca works in our Private Client team in the Midlands, specialising in Estate Administration. Bianca has over 10 years of experience in Private Client and is a post-graduate of Derby University. Bianca is currently completing her CILEX qualifications and will shortly be qualifying as a Private Client Chartered Legal Executive.
Clare Bush, Legal Assistant
T: +44 (0)115 983 3658
E: clare.bush@geldards.com
Clare specialises in the administration of estates and has over 15 years’ experience of working in the Private Client Department.
Ginny Weldon, Legal Assistant
T: +44 (0)29 2038 6536
E: ginny.weldon@geldards.com
Ginny is a Legal Assistant in the Private Client Department, assisting in handling new enquiries, answering queries, and running files. Ginny has always maintained a good and sensitive relationship with clients during the initial process and throughout the course of a client’s matter to conclusion.
Ginny has over twenty-three years’ experience working as a Legal Assistant. Her expertise lies primarily in Estate Administration, Wills, and in the preparation and submission of Lasting Power of Attorney documents to the Office of the Public Guardian. She has always fostered a good working relationship with clients and she feels that a fulfilling aspect of this work is the opportunity to efficiently assist families during what can be difficult and upsetting times for them.
Prior to joining Geldards in February 2021, Ginny assisted one of our Consultants, Anne George, in central Swansea firms. She continues to be based in Swansea and remains available to meet with or speak to all clients.
Kayleigh Hume, Legal Assistant
T: +44 (0)29 2038 1731
E: kayleigh.hume@geldards.com
Kayleigh is a Legal Assistant in the Private Client Department and has over 8 years’ experience working in the Private Client Team. She assists in handling new enquiries, answering queries, and running files.
Zara Rashid, Legal Administrator
T: +44 (0)115 983 3656
E: zara.rashid@geldards.com
Zara is a Legal Administrator in the Private Client team and assists in handling new enquiries and answering queries.
We are committed to providing a reliable, effective and expert service to all clients and are certified under the ISO 9001 Quality Management System.
There are 14 members of the team who may work on your matter depending on your location. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by Erica Thomson and Jaclyn Barnes, Partners and Head of Probate and Estate Administration in the Midlands and Anne Taylor and Gillian Crouch, Senior Associates in Cardiff.
Geldards Residential Property expertise is second to none. Whether you are buying, selling, re-mortgaging a property or making an investment, we can give you expert help and guidance to ensure the process runs as smoothly as possible.
Our Residential Property team will always put your priorities first, ensuring that they talk to you in plain English and provide a friendly, competitive and professional service. We will keep you updated throughout the process and respond quickly to any enquiries. Ultimately, we aim to ensure that the process is as straightforward as possible so that you can move as smoothly and quickly as possible.
The vast majority of our residential work is carried out in our Nottingham Office. Our Cardiff Office only carries out residential work for specific clients.
The conveyancing process involves the following key stages:
How long it will take for your transaction to complete will depend on a number of factors. The average process for a sale or purchase takes between 6 – 8 weeks and for a re-mortgage between 4 – 6 weeks. It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain and the complexity of the transaction. For example, if you are purchasing a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer.
Our fees for a typical house sale or purchase range from around £1,000 plus VAT of £200 for a simple transaction to £5,000 plus VAT of £1,000 for a substantial historical building on unregistered land. These figures however may vary in cases with special complications. That is why we will always give you an individual cost estimate at the start of the transaction taking into account the actual features of your purchase. We charge a fixed fee, but this is subject to change if complications become evident during the transactions. We will always advise you immediately about any complications and discuss the potential impact on price before any additional charges are incurred.
Examples of complications may be:
Our fees for a typical re-mortgage range from £675 plus VAT of £135 to £1,000 plus VAT of £200.
In addition to our fees above and disbursements/other costs mentioned below, there will be an administration charge in the form of a TT (bank transfer) fee: £24 incl VAT (sale, purchase
and re-mortgage).
Disbursements are costs related to your matter which are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
Search Fees: approximately £400 – £450 incl VAT (factors which can affect this include which local authority the property is located within and whether property specific searches are required e.g. a coal mining search) (purchase and re-mortgage)
Official Copy Register Entries and Title Plan: £7.20 incl VAT (sale and re-mortgage)
Land Registry Search fee: £3.60 incl VAT (purchase and re-mortgage)
Bankruptcy Search fee: £2.40 incl VAT per name (purchase and remortgage)
Land Registry fee: This depends on the purchase price of the property or the amount of the mortgage (for a re-mortgage). You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using the HM Land Registry calculator.
Stamp Duty Land Tax (England): This depends on the purchase price of the property (this is only paid on a purchase). You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using the HMRC’s Stamp Duty calculator.
Land Transaction Tax (Wales): This depends on the purchase price of the property (this is only paid on a purchase). You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using WRA’s Land Transaction Tax calculator.
Certificate of Compliance fee: This can range between around £90 and £240 incl VAT (freehold or leasehold purchase).
In relation to leasehold purchases, there will be the following additional costs:
You should also be aware that ground rent and service charges are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. We will confirm the ground rent and the anticipated service charge as soon as this we receive this information.
In relation to leasehold sales, a fee will be payable to the landlord and/or managing agent for a sales pack the amount of which varies from transaction to transaction. Often it is between around £90 and £900 incl VAT.
For the purchase of a freehold property in Wollaton, Nottingham (registered under one title number) at a price of £300,000 by two buyers, who have owned residential property previously, who are buying with a mortgage and who will only own one residential property on completion of the purchase, the fees and disbursements would be:
| Fees | |
| £1,200 plus VAT of £240 | £1,440.00 |
| Disbursements | |
| Stamp Duty Land Tax | £2,500.00 |
| Land Registry Registration Fee | £150.00 |
| Local Authority Search Fee (including VAT) | £139.20 |
| Drainage Search Fee (including VAT) | £64.80 |
| Environmental Search Fee, including Mining Search (including VAT) | £144.00 |
| Chancel Repair Search Fee (including VAT) | £24.84 |
| Land Registry Search Fee (including VAT) | £3.60 |
| Bankruptcy Search Fees (including VAT) | £4.80 |
| Bank Transfer Fee (including VAT) | £24.00 |
| Total Disbursements | £3055.24 |
| Grand Total |
£4495.24 |
Richard Hadrill, Associate
T: +44 (0)115 983 3705
E: richard.hadrill@geldards.com
Richard studied law at Nottingham Trent University and qualified as a solicitor in 1988. He has over 30 years’ experience of dealing with all aspects of residential conveyancing, including freehold and leasehold sales and purchases, re-mortgages, transfers of equity, probate sales, auction sales, shared ownership purchases and equity release. Richard is friendly and approachable, and he provides pragmatic solutions to clients’ problems.
Sanita Ramjee, Solicitor
T: +44 (0)115 983 3673
E: sanita.ramjee@geldards.com
Sanita is a Solicitor specialising in residential conveyancing with over 4 years’ experience advising on all types of residential property transactions.
Sanita has a great deal of experience in dealing with freehold and leasehold sales and purchases; new build purchases; right to buys; re-mortgages; transfers of equity; probates sales; auction sales and purchases; company purchasers; advising on un-registered titles and voluntary first registrations; shared ownership properties; lease extensions; providing independent legal advice to guarantors and occupiers; drafting loan agreements; and preparation of declaration of trusts.
Zoie Monroe, Legal Executive
T: +44 (0)115 983 3653
E: zoie.monroe@geldards.com
Zoie is a legal executive specialising in residential conveyancing with over 15 years’ experience advising on all types of residential property transactions. Whilst primarily based in the Nottingham Office, Zoie has a presence at our other Midland Office in Derby for the benefit of our clients. Zoie joined Geldards in 2016 following her relocation from the North West of England.
We are committed to providing a reliable, effective and expert service to all clients and are certified under the ISO 9001 Quality Management System.
We are also accredited under the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS). Our CQS number is CQS03489. Under CQS our Senior Reporting Officer is David Williams.
Your matter will be dealt with by either Richard Hadrill who is an Associate, Sanita Ramjee who is a Solicitor, or Zoe Monroe who is a Conveyancer. They are supervised by David Williams who is a Member and head of residential property.
In the first instance please arrange to contact any of those named below, who will ensure that your enquiry is directed to the appropriate place:
Richard Hadrill: (T) 0115 983 3705 (E) richard.hadrill@geldards.com
Sanita Ramjee: (T) 0115 983 3673 (E) sanita.ramjee@geldards.com
Zoie Monroe: (T) 0115 983 3653 (E) zoie.monroe@geldards.com
Our Business Immigration Team have extensive expertise advising corporate clients, charities and public sector clients with business immigration issues. We work closely with HR departments and more directly with clients with fewer HR resources, to offer support and training on all aspects of business immigration law and HR issues.
Following the introduction of the point-based immigration system in the UK and the UK’s exit from the European Union, many clients have faced significant challenges in ensuring EEA and other foreign nationals working for them in the UK continue to have the relevant visas and right to work documentation. We also recognise our clients and entrepreneurs wish to continue to recruit from the pool of talent around the world to address the skills shortage in their particular industries.
Our team provide advice and services in relation to the following:
We aim to make life easier for our clients by discussing their particular situation, advising on the appropriate route, visa and type of sponsorship licence that would be most applicable. We can assist with the application to register clients as a sponsor and the issuing of sponsorship certificates by them to their employees and investors.
We provide bespoke training sessions and webinars to HR staff to ensure they are aware of the legal obligations and compliance requirements of their organisations, in particular the right to work checks they must carry out on all employees.
Set out below is our pricing structure regarding the provision of advice in relation to business immigration issues. Please note this does not include the cost of any application fees or other related fees that maybe payable.
Type of work to be carried out and average fee per instruction is as follows:
We charge by reference to the amount of time taken to undertake the work needed at the relevant hourly rate of the team member involved. Relevant hourly rates range in accordance with the following:
The lowest and highest end of the range relate to trainee solicitors and partners respectively and the hourly rate is applicable to your matter will depend upon who in the team is appointed on our behalf. This will be discussed and agreed with you.
No Disbursements are payable via Geldards LLP for any of the above services. However, UK Visas and Immigration charge a range of fees to both employers and individual employees. The fees will vary based on the sponsor licence, and visa applied for. They can include but are not limited to the following fees:
| Fees | Small or charitable sponsors | Large Sponsors |
| Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence | £536 | £1,476 |
| Temporary Worker Sponsor Licence | £536 | £536 |
| Add Skilled Worker to existing Temporary Worker | No fee | £940 |
| Priority service for expedited processing of Sponsor Licence application | £500 | £500 |
| Priority change of circumstances service (cost per change) | £200 | £200 |
| Premium customer service scheme (three month) | £2,000 | £6,250 |
| Premium customer service scheme (per year) | £8,000 | £25,000 |
| Immigration Skills Charge first 12 Month (per employee) | £364 | £1,000 |
| Immigration Skills Charge each additional 6 month (per employee) | £182 | £500 |
| Allocation of Certificate of Sponsorship | £21 – £199 | £21 – £199 |
In addition, the individual employee will be required to pay the application fees and surcharges directly to UK Visas and Immigration. These can include (but are not limited):
We will on receipt of your instructions discuss and agree a cost estimate for the matter.
The team will work to meet the client’s needs and expectations in relation to timescales. We will aim to respond to all email and telephone instructions within 48 hours. Please note time scales for HM Visas and Immigration can vary, the below timescales are provided as guidance only and actual timescales can be longer.
The team will advise you of any relevant timescales and deadlines.
Joga Singh, Partner
T: +44 (0)29 2038 6549
E: joga.singh@geldards.com
Joga qualified as a solicitor in 2006 and is an experienced employment and immigration lawyer who has extensive experience in providing strategic advice in complex employment law, immigration and HR matters.
Joga advises clients in relating to obtaining a sponsorship licence and ongoing compliance with the sponsor requirements. He also delivers bespoke training sessions on a variety of employment law and HR issues.
Rachel Mills, Senior Associate
T: +44 (0)1332 254 123
E: rachel.mills@geldards.com
Rachel qualified as a solicitor in 2001 and advises clients on a range of employment and immigration issues. Experienced in contentious and non-contentious matters, for both individuals and companies, Rachel advises a wide range of sectors in all aspects of employment and immigration law.
Ramyar Hassan, Solicitor
T: +44 (0)29 2038 1865
E: ramyar.hassan@geldards.com
Ramyar qualified as a solicitor in 2020 and advises clients on a range of immigration and employment issues.
Ramyar provides bespoke advice to clients on a variety of business immigration issues, such as right to work checks, obtaining a sponsor licence, various visa routes, ongoing obligations of a sponsor, and the allocation of certificates of sponsorship.
Ramyar is a fluent Kurdish speaker.
The team will generally have the assistance of trainee solicitors and, again generally, there will be different trainee solicitors in the team approximately every 6 months. In the event of a trainee solicitor carrying out (under appropriate supervision) any work in respect of your matter then you will be provided with their details.
We are committed to providing reliable, effective and expert services to all clients and are certified under the ISO 9001 Quality Management System.
The team are all qualified employment lawyers within our Employment Department, who have both business immigration and employment law expertise, enabling them to provide a cost-efficient and integrated approach.
The team operates out of offices in Cardiff and the Midlands and is supervised by Lowri Phillips. Lowri is a partner based in Cardiff.