Legal Aid & Fees

At Crockett & Co. Solicitors we believe everyone should be entitled to legal representation and as such take great pride in being able to provide publicly funded legal advice. There have been a number of substantial changes to legal aid in recent years, however our staff remain committed to ensuring those who are entitled to legal aid receive any such advice.

The firm has a franchise in Legal Aid family work and subject to eligibility, we can obtain funding for many family matters. This often requires us to obtain what is called ‘gateway evidence’, which can be a letter from your GP/medical professional or a Social Worker, supporting your case, which will assist with us obtaining funding.

Please attend one of our drop in clinics or make an appointment for a free 15 mins appointment to discuss eligibility.

We understand the need for knowing the full costs of instructing a Solicitor before advising whether to take any further action. In some cases it is possible for us to carry out work on your behalf on a fixed fee basis as opposed to the traditional hourly rate.

Please speak to a member of staff to see if this is something we are able to assist with.

We offer a number of different fee paying arrangements suitable to your individual needs. We will be honest and open about our fees from the very beginning, which will be charged at an hourly rate. We will ask for a payment on account in the first instance and give you an estimate of what we would expect the case to cost overall. We will provide running totals at regular intervals so that you are always informed of the work we do on your behalf.

We are flexible about payment methods and can offer a direct debit system so that you pay as you go. We accept debit and credit cards.

We wish to provide information about the costs of our services.

For preparation of a will, we charge the following:
Single will – £125 plus VAT (£150)
Mirror wills – £175 plus VAT (£210)
Codicil – £75 – £100 plus VAT (£90 – £120) – fee dependent on amount of work

For preparation of a change of name deed/statutory declaration, we charge the following:
£65 plus VAT (£78)

For work in respect of probate matter, the charges in respect of this depend on the complexity of the matter and the fee earner instructed, see hourly fees below. Please contact us to discuss this further.

For privately paid applications, we generally offer fixed fee packages as below:

Divorce (fixed fee) – Petitioner
£750 plus VAT (£900), plus disbursement costs

Divorce (fixed fee) – Respondent
£400 plus VAT (£480), plus disbursements costs

Children Act applications (fixed fee) – Applicant
£500 plus VAT (£600) to take instructions/draft application (not including first court hearing)
£500 plus VAT (£600) for first directions hearing and any hearings thereafter, plus travel costs
£900 plus VAT (£1,080) for any contested hearings, or if we are briefing Counsel, Counsel’s fees, which are payable in advance of a hearing, plus £500 plus VAT (£600) for all steps up to and including brief and bundle preparation, plus any disbursement costs

Children Act applications (fixed fee) – Respondent
£350 plus VAT (£420) to take initial instructions/draft statement
£500 plus VAT (£600) for first directions hearing and any hearings thereafter, plus travel costs
£900 plus VAT (£1,080) for any contested hearings, or if we are briefing Counsel, Counsel’s fees, which are payable in advance of a hearing, plus £500 plus VAT (£600) for all steps up to and including brief and bundle preparation, plus any disbursement costs

Family Law Act/Non-Molestation Injunctions – Applicant
£500 plus VAT (£600), plus disbursement costs, to prepare application
£500 plus VAT (£600) for first directions hearing and any hearings thereafter, plus travel costs
£900 plus VAT (£1,080) for any contested hearings, or if we are briefing Counsel, Counsel’s fees, which are payable in advance of a hearing, plus £500 plus VAT (£600) for all steps up to and including brief and bundle preparation, plus any disbursement costs

Family Law Act/Non-Molestation Injunctions – Respondent
£350 plus VAT (£420) to take initial instructions/draft statement
£500 plus VAT (£600) for first directions hearing and any hearings thereafter, plus travel costs
£900 plus VAT (£1,080) for any contested hearings, or if we are briefing Counsel, Counsel’s fees, which are payable in advance of a hearing, plus £500 plus VAT (£600) for all steps up to and including brief and bundle preparation, plus any disbursement costs
We also have an hourly charge out rates for private work and can sometimes quote for a combination, whereby there will usually be a fixed fee for hearings and either a fixed fee or hourly rate for preparation and attendance, excluding hearings.

Our charge rates are:

Helen Crockett – Principal Solicitor/Director – £250 per hour
Amie Mayes – Assistant Solicitor – £200 per hour
Emma Hoole – Family Lawyer (Associate Member of Chartered Institute of Legal Executives) – £150 per hour
Karen Griffin – Assistant Solicitor – £120 per hour
Amy Martin – Paralegal – £100 per hour

Although our hourly rates are above, when a client’s means are limited, we are happy to consider reduced rates and will also accept payments by instalments, which would be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

As well as our costs there may be other charges we have to pay out on your behalf; we will advise at the outset if we believe any of these additional costs will apply to your case and we will keep you updated as your matter progresses.

Please contact us today. We’re here to help.