Legal Notice and Liability Disclaimer

The contents of these pages are copyright Isis Legal Limited 2026 unless otherwise stated. Copying, publication and distribution are prohibited other than in accordance with our copyright and database right notice and limited copying and other permissions.

The material published on this website is for general information purposes only and does not and is not intended to constitute legal or other professional advice. You should seek specific legal advice in relation to any particular matter. Isis legal Limited accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from reliance on information contained on this site.

We have included links to other websites which, at the time of creating the link, were believed to be of interest to our clients and contacts. Whilst we will from time to time review the sites to which we have linked, we do not necessarily endorse the contents of those linked sites. Isis Legal Limited disclaims all liability arising from the information or materials contained on any linked sites

The law stated is at 1st January 2026.

Important Note

Sarah Franklin Solicitors and Motorsport Legal are the trading names of Isis Legal Limited (VAT No. 910 3419 63). Isis Legal is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (number 465101). The applicable rules are the rules and principles governing Solicitors’ conduct and can be viewed on-line at www.sra.org.uk/code-of-conduct.page

Isis Legal Limited is registered in England and Wales, Company Number 6071297. The Registered Office of Isis Legal Limited is 21 Market Street, Kettering, Northants NN16 0AH.

Costs Information

Many of our family, probate. motorsport and commercial matters are difficult to provide an exact estimate of the likely costs. It is therefore our normal policy to charge on an hourly basis for our work.  We explain below how this usually works but feel free to ask for more information if we can help explain how our pricing works. We aim to be transparent with our charges and pricing.

We charge for advising you, attending meetings, telephone calls, attending Court hearings, traveling and waiting, considering documents, dealing with correspondence, drafting and all other work involved in your case. Short letters that we write and receive, emails that we write and receive, and short telephone calls that we make and receive will be charged as units of one tenth of an hour.  Longer letters and calls will be charged in accordance with actual time spent.

Where possible, we will provide cost estimates of the matter that you ask us to work upon, although this may be on a stage by stage basis since some matters can last longer than others.  Our standard hourly rates are set out below and we will advise you upon instructing us who the person is who will be looking after you and their hourly rate. These rates will be “plus VAT” at the prevailing rate, currently 20% (as at 1 January 2021).

VAT where referred to is at the rate of 20%.

Sarah Franklin has over 20 years post qualification experience.  Her hourly rate is £300.00 plus VAT

Harriet Hudson and Dushyant Tanna are assistant Solicitors.  Their hourly rates are £255.00 plus VAT and £240.00 plus VAT respectively.

Sharon Head is a paralegals.  Her hourly rate is £215 plus VAT (£43.00).

In respect of any out of pocket expenses that we may incur on your behalf (these are called disbursements), these will be charged separately. We endeavour to make you aware of any disbursements in advance of them being incurred and it may be necessary to ask you for payment on account of disbursements. Some disbursements are subject to VAT.

At some stage, we may need to instruct Counsel on your behalf to draft some of the formal documents, to advise or to appear at a Court hearing. Counsel may also be required to advise on specialist areas. Also, we may need to engage an expert witness to act for you. Counsel’s fees and the fees of any expert witness will be at your additional expense.  We will discuss with you the appointment of Counsel or expert witnesses before engaging them.

Please note that all of the estimates provided exclude any disbursements which may be payable.  We ask for £500.00 (or such other amount that is appropriate in the circumstances) retainer on account of costs at the beginning of the matter and usually invoice on a monthly basis.  Disbursements will be payable on account prior to us incurring them.

Please also note that we undertake a digital identification check for all clients at a cost of £20.00 plus VAT (£4.00) per person.

Please note that we make a charge of £40.00 plus VAT (£8.00) with respect to making arrangements for same day bank transfers of any funds.

FIXED FEES

Sarah Franklin Solicitors offers some fixed fee prices as follows:

Fixed fee first appointment for some initial general advice regarding a legal issue – £95 plus VAT (£19.00).  This will last approximately one hour but you will not be charged if it goes beyond this time.  This is for some general advice and does not include review of any documents prior to the appointment or providing any written advice or further advice beyond the appointment.

Wills – £195.00 plus VAT (£39.00) for a straight-forward single Will and £295.00 plus VAT (£59.00) for ‘mirror’ Wills of a couple.  If the Will is more complex, this will be charged on our hourly rates as above.

Codicils – £95.00 plus VAT (£19.00)

Please note that for Wills & Codicils, we request payment of the costs on account after the initial appointment.  We aim to provide you with draft documents within 2 weeks of your initial appointment.

Powers of Attorney (for each power) £250.00 plus VAT (£50.00) for preparation, £250.00 plus VAT (£50.00) for registration (which from the point of filing with the Court is currently taking approximately 6-8 weeks).  The Court fee is currently £82.00 per Power of Attorney.

We can provide estimates of costs on other matters as follows:

PROBATE – Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets

Obtaining a Grant of Probate if matters are straight-forward with few assets in the estate and where no inheritance tax is payable, would usually be estimated at £1,500 – £2,500 plus VAT at 20% and disbursements.  There will be a disbursement payable to the Probate Registry which is currently £526.  There may also be Statutory Advertisement fees of approximately £350.00 and possible Land Registry searches of approximately £20.00.  None of these disbursements are liable for VAT.

We will provide a more accurate estimate of costs once we have ascertained the details of the estate and what needs to be done on your behalf.

There can be additional costs if there is no Will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) and if any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £2 (1 per asset usually).  Please note that dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included in the estimate.

On average, straight forward estates are dealt with within 6-12 months. Typically, obtaining the Grant of Probate takes 12-20 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 12-20 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 2-4 weeks.

Key stages included in these estimates for probate transactions are: Receipt of instructions, ascertaining full details of the estate  (including valuations if necessary), review of the Will (or searches for a Will if one isn’t located), preparation of Inheritance Tax calculations and forms as necessary, preparation of application for Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration, receipt of Grant, notifying all parties and gathering in funds due to the estate, sale of assets as necessary, preparation of estate account and distribution of funds to the beneficiaries.

More complex estates, including those with inheritance tax payable or disputes regarding the estate will be dealt with on an hourly basis and an estimate of costs given after an initial consultation.  On average, a more complex matter can entail approximately 25-30 hours of work.  If the matter becomes contentious and proceedings are necessary, this can dramatically increase costs to £40-50,000.00 plus VAT and disbursements.  Contentious probate matters often take 18-24 months to be resolved from the point of issuing of the proceedings.

FAMILY – This will be on an hourly basis and very much depends on what you need us to do for you.  A straight forward divorce will be approximately £950 plus VAT (£190.00) and disbursements and should take 7-8 months.  The Court issue fee for a divorce is currently £628.  Children and financial matters very much depend on the complexity and an estimate of costs will be given once we can ascertain the details of the case from you.  Please see above regarding our hourly charge rates and what we charge for.  Contested family proceedings can be lengthy and complex and we will be able to provide you with an estimate once we know what you need us to do for you.

MOTORSPORT  – This very much depends on what you need us to do on your behalf and an estimate will be given as soon as we are aware of your requirements.  National Court (Tribunal) appeals will usually be a minimum of £3-4,000 plus VAT at 20% and disbursements.  From the point of you appealing a decision at the Circuit to the hearing at the National Court can take between 2-4 months, depending on the amount of evidence to be provided and any directions given by the Court.  Appeals to the International Court of Appeal will usually take 4-6 months to receiving a final hearing date and costs will be dependant upon the work necessary but will usually be a minimum of £15-20,000.00 plus VAT at 20% and disbursements.  This will include the cost of translation of all documents in French for the Appeal Court.

Review of motorsport contracts will be charged at our hourly rates as above and will be dependant upon the length and type of contract.  We will provide you with an estimate of costs and the time frames for such work at the beginning of the matter, once we have ascertained what you need us to do on your behalf.

COMMERICAL – The costs will very much depend on what you need us to do on your behalf and an estimate will be provided after initials instructions taken.

CONVEYANCING – The cost depends on the purchase/sale price and whether the matter of residential or commercial and also if the property is freehold or leasehold.  A full quote will be given upon request when this information is provided.

Please note that we do not deal with any purchase transactions requiring a mortgage as we are not on the Panels of Solicitors due to the small volume of conveyancing work undertaken by us.

Time scales for sales and purchases are very dependant upon many factors, including the amount of people in the ‘chain’ and whether they are obtaining mortgages.  We would usually expect a transaction to take no longer than 12 weeks but this can be longer.

The below fixed costs are on the basis that the matters are straight-forward and the properties are Freehold and registered with the Land Registry.  If the property is unregistered, leasehold or shared ownership, there will be additional fees of approximately £750.00 plus VAT at 20% and additional disbursements are likely.  We will provide a full quote upon request specific to your matter.

SALES

Up to £200,000.00 :         £1,375.00 plus VAT (£275.00)

£201,000 – 300,000.00 : £1,750.00 plus VAT (£350.00)

£301,000 – 400,000.00 : £1,950.00 plus VAT (£390.00)

£401,000 – 500,000.00 : £2,450.00 plus VAT (£490.00)

£501,000.00 and above : will be charged at our hourly rate as above and we would estimate that this would range from 15-25 hours of work.

Disbursements on sales will include official copies of land registry deeds of £14.00.  Further disbursements can vary depending on enquiries raised by the buyer and if, for example, copies of documents such as FENSA certificates and planning consents/building regulation approvals have to be obtained.

A straight forward sale will usually take 8-12 weeks from the point of instructions being given but can vary depending on the enquiries raised and the circumstances of other parties in the conveyancing chain.

The key stages included in these estimates for a sale are: Receiving your instructions, preparing contract papers and sending them to the buyers conveyancers, dealing with any additional enquiries raised by the buyers conveyancers, agreeing a completion date, exchanging contracts, completing the transaction (including settling any mortgages on the property) and distribution of the net proceeds of sale.

PURCHASES

£Up to £200,000.00   :     £1,575.00 plus VAT (£315.00)

£201,000 – 300,000.00 : £1,950.00 plus VAT (£390.00)

£301,000 – 400,000.00 : £2,250.00 plus VAT (£450.00)

£401,000 – 500,000.00  : £2,750.00 plus VAT (£550.00)

£501,000.00 and above : will be charged at our hourly rate as above and we would estimate that this would range from 15-25 hours of work.

Disbursements, including searches, stamp duty and Land Registry fees will be dependant upon the purchase price, the location of the property, if it is your main residence or a subsequent property and your requirements.  A full quote will be provided upon request.

A straight forward purchase will usually take 8-12 weeks from the point of instructions being given to completion but can vary depending on the enquiries raised and the circumstances of other parties in the conveyancing chain.

The key stages included in these estimates for a purchase are: Receiving your instructions, receipt of contract papers from the sellers conveyancers, obtaining searches, review of the contract papers and any survey you have instructed, raising additional enquiries, liaising with you to go through the papers, agreeing a completion date, exchanging contracts (and payment of the deposit, usually 10% of the purchase price), completing the matter, arranging payment of any Stamp Duty and dealing with registration formalities.

TRANSFER OF EQUITY

Freehold & Registered property – £995.00 plus VAT (£199) and disbursements.   The amount of disbursements will depend on the transaction with respect to Land Registry fees and possible Stamp Duty.  A full quote is available upon request specific to your matter.  The key stages included in the estimate for this are preparation of the transfer documentation, completion of the transfer and registration formalities thereafter.

DEBT RECOVERY – A straight forwarded letter before action to a debtor, and reporting to you will be £300 plus VAT (£60.00).  If the matter is more complex, costs will vary and will be charged at our hourly rates detailed above.  If you require us to assist with an application to the Court, depending on the complexity of the matter, the range of costs can be from £2,500.00 – £20,000.00 plus VAT at 20% and disbursements.  An estimate of costs can be provided once we ascertain your requirements.

If we need to issue proceedings, the charge will be dependant upon the amount of work needed and will be on our hourly rates as detailed above, depending upon which fee earner deals with the matter.   A relatively simply matter would be estimated to take 20-25 hours of work if the matter goes to a final hearing.  A particularly complicated case can take 100-150 hours of work if the matter goes to a final hearing.   If proceedings are issued, we will advise you throughout and the key stages included in our estimate are:  Preparation and issuing of proceedings, including the summons and particulars of claim; receipt to a defence (and possible counterclaim), replying to the defence (and counterclaim) if appropriate, receiving directions from the Court (often after a directions hearing), obtaining, preparing and filing any evidence including expert evidence and statements, receipt of the Defendants papers, consideration of alternative dispute resolution and attending that if necessary and a final hearing.

You are required to pay a court fee (which is a disbursement not subject to VAT) to start a claim and this is based on the court’s scale.   This can be found at https://www.gov.uk/court-fees-what-they-are

We usually request the court fee on account from you.  The time between sending the first letter and starting the claim may be between 3-8 weeks depending on the type of claim and your instructions.  The time to take a matter to a final hearing will be dependant upon the case and the availability of the Court but we would estimate this to be at least 10-12 months from time of issuing proceedings.

For ongoing work, this would be charged by reference to time, and disbursements are charged as they arise (and these may be subject to VAT in some cases). We do not provide this service on a conditional basis – what is often called “no win no fee”. How long the court process takes, and how much it costs, will depend on the size of the claim, and which court track it is allocated to. Some cases may settle at an early stage, whilst other may need a trial to resolve them. A trial will increase costs considerably, and there may be fees for a barrister (which will often be subject to VAT), further court fees and in some cases, experts. These are factors that increase costs and are not included in our estimate of costs.

For a debt below £10,000, allocated to the Small Claims Track, costs may be in the region on average of £2,500 to £4,000 plus VAT at 20% and court fees. This could take around 12 months to reach court. For fast track and multi track cases, it will be longer (probably at least 18 months) and involve more costs. For a fast track claim which goes to trial, the costs may on average be around £15,000 to £20,000 plus VAT at 20%, and for multi track cases, the average would be more – for example it would not be unusual to have costs of in excess of £30,000 plus VAT. The costs are not dissimilar in Intermediate Track cases – but can be more depending on complexity.

All cases are different, so we are best reviewing your circumstances to provide a better estimate to help you make an informed decision about your case.

Please remember, even if you obtain a Judgment, this does not mean that a debtor will pay voluntarily. This may require you to enforce the Judgment – this can include instructing a bailiff or a High Court Enforcement Officer, or applying for a Charging Order. Each of these steps come at an additional costs and usually involve disbursements such as court fees.

We can provide to our clients fee estimates before you instruct us to undertake any work so that you are aware of the charges that you will incur at the earliest stage.

All legal services are provided strictly subject to our Terms of Business which are available upon request.

Before instructing us, please check if you have Legal Expense Insurance or any other method of third party funding.

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve our standards.

Our complaints procedure

If you have a complaint, please contact us in writing by post with the full details of the complaint.

What will happen next?

We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within ten working days of us receiving the complaint, enclosing a copy of this procedure if it has not yet been forwarded to you.  We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to our client care partner, Sarah Franklin, who will review your matter file and speak to the member of staff who acted for you.

Sarah Franklin will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including her suggestions for resolving the matter, within 42 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.

If you are still not satisfied Sarah Franklin will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. She will do this within 28 days of sending you her detailed written reply to your complaint.

Within 14 days of the meeting, Sarah Franklin will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions she has agreed with you.

At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will arrange for someone unconnected with the matter at the firm to review her decision.  We will write to you within 28 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.

If you are still not satisfied, you can then contact the Legal Ombudsman about your complaint.  Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within six months of the date of our final decision on the issue.  It must be made not more than one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about or not more than one year from the date when you should reasonably have known that there was cause for complaint.   However you may make a complaint directly to them 8 weeks from your complaint, even if we are still in the process of investigating it. For further information, you should contact the Legal Ombudsman at www.legalombudsman.org.uk or PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH.   Telephone 0300 555 0333.  E-mail enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk.

If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.

If your complaint is with respect to an allegation of a breach of Solicitors Regulation Authority principle, you can complain directly to the SRA.  A copy of the principles and the complaint form can be found at https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor/