FOUR SEPERATE FEE OPTIONS

Empowering solicitors to choose the option most appropriate to the case at hand and retain control of the estate accounts.

 

Alternatively, you can click here to submit information for a Free, No Obligation, Research Consultation and we will contact you to discuss the fee option most appropriate given the facts of your particular case.

 

Fee Option	Advantages	Other Considerations
Beneficiary Contingency	No formal instruction required No trace no fee Only option for intestacies where no personal representative is available.	A more risky option due to us carrying the risk of not finding any beneficiaries or not being able to negotiate a fee with them, however all costs are bourne as part of this fee, not as an addition.
Finder's Fee Contingency	Lower fees than above No trace, no fee Protects known heirs or trusts from research fees which do not result in new beneficiaries.	Only possible if there is an executor, administrator or trustee.   The Genealogist runs the risk of not receiving a fee should no heirs be found, as above.
Time Spent Basis	Possible to set initial budgets.	It is necessary to pay for all research irrespective of results and the estate carries the risk of no one being located.   This method is unsuitable for open-ended research and as above, only possible if there is an administrator or trustee.
Fixed Fee	Guarantee that the work will be completed within a fixed time frame for a fixed price.	It is necessary to pay for all research irrespective of results and estate carries the risk of no one being located.   The Genealogist runs risk of unexpected elements arising in the research.

 

 

 

 

 

This is the only way to instruct on an intestacy, where there is no formal authority to incur debts on the estate. The onus is on the genealogists instructed to find the beneficiaries, at the risk of not finding any and not being paid for their work. The genealogists then arrange individual agreements with each heir they locate and all costs, such as certificates and reports, are borne as part of this fee, not as an addition. In return, you are recommended to the heirs to administer the estate as administering solicitors, as choosing the solicitor who referred the case can help to reduce costs in the long run. Agreements can vary, depending on the proximity of relationship to the deceased and the complexity of the case, however this is the basis on which all Bona Vacantia cases are undertaken.

 

Instruction to locate missing beneficiaries comes from the executor, administrator or trustee on what amounts to a "no trace, no fee" basis - the agreement being that the genealogist once again runs the risk of not receiving a fee should no heirs be found. Should they be located, the genealogist is paid a share of the entitlement of the person or persons that they have traced.

 

 

Usually recommended only if the search falls within defined parameters, with this option it is the estate which carries the risk of not finding any beneficiaries, as the research has to be paid for irrespective of the result. An initial budget is agreed before research commences, and therefore allows a solicitor to monitor the costs incurred by the estate. Additional help during the administration of the estate, such as the preparation of fractional entitlements for the beneficiaries would then be provided for an additional fee. It is important that the information provided by the referring party is fairly accurate as this enables a more precise budget to be set.

 

A larger budget is set under the guarantee that the work will be completed for a fixed price. Under this option the genealogist runs a significant risk that an unknown element may arise. It is vital that full information is disclosed in order to provide a precise price. The person referring the case risks that a time spent basis may have been cheaper, or if no heirs are found either contingency option would have not incurred any fees at all.

 

Click here to submit information for a Free, No Obligation, Research Consultation.