Key stages

There are four main steps that we need to go through. Step 1 is to send the debtor a pre-action letter. If the matter is not settled and payment is not received, we then move to step 2, which consists of issuing court proceedings.  At this point the debtor will receive a court form from the court demanding them to pay the debt together with interest and costs within 14 days.

Step 3 involves obtaining a County Court Judgment (CCJ) this is Court Order that confirms that the debtor is liable to pay your debt. As soon as the County Court Claim has expired, we can proceed to obtaining a CCJ. The CCJ is the judgment given by a judge at the County Court which enables you to take enforcement action against the debtor to recover the debt owed to you.

Step 4 is commencing enforcement action. Alternatively, in step 4, insolvency and or bankruptcy action can be taken against a debtor. As soon as we have obtained a County Court Judgment, we are then able to immediately ‘enforce’ the debt. There are a number of ways to enforce a debt such as an attachment of earnings orders or charging orders. However, the most common method is to instruct a Bailiff or High Court Enforcement Officer to visit the debtor’s address and collect the debt or seize goods to the value of the debt.

We will advise you on the best method of enforcement depending on each individual circumstance.

Our professional fees are charged at an hourly rate of £300 plus VAT.

Note about VAT

Please note that wherever we indicate that VAT is payable, this will be at the standard rate from time to time, currently 20%.

1. Out of court negotiations

We usually advise to send first a pre-action letter to the defendant before starting Court proceedings and try to reach an out of court settlement. An estimation of our professional fees until and out of court settlement is agreed may vary between £500 and £2,000 plus VAT*.

Our estimation of fees does not include any disbursements we might incur on your behalf while negotiating an out of court settlement (i.e. translation of any documents, postal fees like sending a burofax, etc.).

*Please note that we cannot give you an anticipated number of hours for the work to be taken without knowing the particular circumstances of the case. Every out of court negotiation is likely to vary and thus, we will be in a better position to provide you with a more accurate estimation of our professional fees once we have more information about your specific case.

What services are included

The work will involve:

·         Taking instructions from you, providing you advice given the particular circumstances of the case and reviewing relevant documentation for the case.

·         Undertaking appropriate searches.

·         Sending a pre-action letter to the defendant.

·         Doing the follow up with the defendant by phone/email/letter.

·         Any potential negotiations that may be necessary until and out of court is agreed.

·         Receiving payment and sending it onto you.

We cannot guarantee how long out of Court negotiations may take until receiving payment. If the debtor does not pay the debt within a reasonable period of time we will advise you of the following steps to take and will give you a further estimation of our professional fees in order to issue legal proceedings before the corresponding Court.

2. Court proceedings

In case Court proceedings need to be issued in order to recover the debt, our professional fees may vary depending on the amount of the debt to be recovered, the type of debt to be recovered, whether a barrister needs to be instructed to represent you in Court, on the steps to be taken during Court proceedings.

Our estimation of fees depending on the amount of debt to be recovered are the following*:

– Debts up to £5,000: From £750 to £1,000 approximately.

– Debts between £5,000 and £25,000: From £1,000 to £3,750 approximately.

-Debts above £25,000: From £3,750 up to 15% of the amount to be recovered.

*Our estimation of fees does not include the barrister fees in cases where it needs to be instructed, the Court fee payable to Court to file a claim, and any additional disbursements we might incurred on your behalf during Court proceedings (i.e. translation of documents that might be filed before the Court, etc.).

– In certain cases, we might consider recovering the debt by sending a statutory demand to the defendant depending on who the debtor is, the type of debt to be recovered (whether it is a non-contested claim that has fallen due or not), the amount of debt to be recovered, and the particular circumstances of the case. In these cases, we will give you an estimation of our professional fees for the particular case.

– It might be the case that even with a judgement from the Court in your favour the debtor will not pay voluntarily. In these cases an enforcement action will be needed and we will provide you with a revised estimation of our professional fees.

* Please note that the estimation of fees quoted here are for debts to be recovered in the UK. In cases of Spanish debt, we will provide you with a different estimation of fees attending at the particularities of the case, which will vary depending on whether legal proceedings need to be issued before the Spanish Courts.

What services are included

The work will involve:

·         Providing you advice at this stage of the procedure.

·         Drafting and filing the claim before the corresponding Court.

·         Reply to the Defence in case is received.

·         Where no Acknowledgment of Service or Defence is received, applying to the court to enter Judgement in default.

·         When Judgement in default is received, write to the other side to request payment.

·         Step-by-step guidance during the process depending on the actions needed to be taken within it.

·         If payment is not received within a reasonable period of time after a Court judgement is issued, providing you with advice on next steps and likely costs.

Please note as mentioned above that in any case this is only an estimation of our professional fees, which may vary attending at the particular circumstances of the case. We will be in a position to provide you with a more accurate estimate once we have more information about your specific case.

How long will it take?

We cannot guarantee how long Court proceedings will take. This will depend in many factors including what the debtor does. However, in a case that is undisputed and where we obtain Judgment in Default which the debtor pays promptly, then it can take between 10 to 15 weeks for the matter to be resolved from the point you instruct us. If the matter is disputed or enforcement action is required, it will take longer to resolve. Individual debtors may take longer than business debtors due to the longer pre action protocol period which we are required to follow.

1.WILLS:

A. Spanish Wills:

From £400.00 plus VAT

What services are included

The work will involve:

·         This include drawing up the Will in double column English and Spanish.

·         Taking instructions from the client.

·         Making the necessary arrangements for its execution.

·         Legalisation and registration at the Central Wills Registry in Madrid.

The Spanish Will shall have to be executed before a notary public in the presence of two independent witnesses.

Disbursement:

Notary fees (only as a reference) …………………………………£100-£200 approx.

Legalisation fees per document ……………………………………£ 35.50

B. English Wills:

Option 1: Simple Will

From £250.00 plus VAT

What services are included

The work will involve:

·         Drawing up the Will.

·         Taking instructions from the client and making the necessary arrangements for its execution.

Option 2: Husband and Wife or civil Partner “mirror Wills”

From £350.00 plus VAT

What services are included

The work will involve:

·         Drawing up the will,

·         Taking instructions from clients and making the necessary arrangements for their execution.

2.POWERS OF ATTORNEY:

A.      Power of Attorney in the UK to be used in Spain. From £350.00 plus VAT

The power of attorney shall be drawn up in English and Spanish and will have to be signed by the grantor before a notary public.

Disbursement:

Notary fees (only as a reference) …………………………………£100-£200 approx.

Legalisation fees per document ……………………………………£ 35.50.

B.      Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA).

Lasting Powers of Attorney come in two parts – the first “Financial and Property” and the second “Personal and Welfare”.

In addition, before an LPA may be used it has to be registered with the Office for the Public Guardian. Court fees amount to £82.00.

·         Lasting Power of Attorney (Property & Financial Affairs or Health & Welfare): From £250.00 plus VAT.

·         Lasting Power of Attorney (Property & Financial Affairs and Health & Welfare): From £400.00 plus VAT.

·         To register a LPA (Property & Financial Affairs or Health & Welfare): From £350.00 plus VAT.

·         To register a LPA (Property & Financial Affairs and Health & Welfare): From £450.00 plus VAT.

What services are included

The work will involve:

·         This includes taking instructions from the client and making the necessary arrangements for its registration before the Office of the Public Guardian.

C.      Register an Enduring Power of Attorney.

From £700.00 plus VAT

What services are included

The work will involve:

·         This includes taking instructions from the client and making the necessary arrangements for its registration before the Office of the Public Guardian.

3.AFFIDAVITS

Affidavits of English and Spanish Law. From £800.00 plus VAT

4.OBTENTION OF GRANT OF REPRESENTATION:

From £2,500 plus VAT

Disbursements:

Probate Registry fees ………………..…………………………………£155.00

Legalisation fees per document ……………………………………£ 35.50

What services are included

The work will involve:

·         This includes liaising with the HMRC in order to complete IHT Forms.

·         Liaising with the Probate Registry and making the necessary arrangements in order to obtain the Grant of Probate or Letter of Administration.

5. SPANISH PROBATE AND ADMINISTRATION OF ESTATES WITH ASSETS IN THE UK.

From £ 2,500.00 plus VAT

What services are included

The work will involve:

·         Liaising with Spanish authorities.

·         Drawing up Power of Attorney if necessary.

·         Obtaining certificate from the Central Wills Registry.

·         Obtaining notarized copy of Spanish will (if any).

·         Drawing up the Deed of Declaration of Inheritance whereby the Beneficiaries and executors (if any) would have to appear simultaneously before a notary public or the Spanish Consulate to accept the inheritance.

·         Providing the client with an estimate of inheritance and local taxes and paying of taxes and registration at Land Registry if any property is involved.

6. SPANISH INHERITANCE TAX PLANNING.

Option 1: Report – From £ 550.00 plus VAT

Option2: Settlement of Inheritance Tax – From £700 plus VAT

What services are included

The work will involve:

·         This includes obtaining NIE number.

·         Liaising with Spanish Revenue.

·         Calculate the tax due.

·         Appointing our agent as the client tax representative in Spain and making the necessary arrangements to settle any outstanding liabilities.

Our professional fees are charged at an hourly rate of £275 plus VAT.

Note about VAT

Please note that wherever we indicate that VAT is payable, this will be at the standard rate from time to time, currently 20%.

1. Applications for Permanent Residence and/or for Naturalisation for British Citizenship of EEA nationals

On average, this type of work takes between 4-6 hours to complete. However, we usually cap our professional fees for this type of applications working for a Capped Fee, between £1,000 and £1,200 plus VAT per application.

Our estimation of fees does not include any disbursements we might incur on your behalf while preparing or submitting the application and which are payable to third parties (i.e. Home Office fees for making the application, translator fees in case any document needs to be translated).

The exact number of hours it will take may vary depending on the particular circumstances of your case. Such as:

·         The amount of supporting evidence that we need to consider.

·         The amount of supporting evidence that need to be gathered.

·         Whether any of the supporting evidence need to be translated.

·         Whether any supporting evidence is missing and how long it will take to be obtained.

·         Whether you are applying with other dependents.

If you are able to provide sufficient evidence at our first meeting face to face or via email/ via conference over the phone and you clearly meet the applicable Immigration Rules, our fees are likely to be at the lower end of this range.

What services are included

The work will involve:

·         Taking your instructions, discussing your circumstances in detail and confirming whether this is the most appropriate application for you to make and what other options may be available to you.

·         Providing you advice about the requirements of the Immigration Rules and whether you meet the criteria.

·         If you do not fulfil certain criteria, whether this can be overcome and how.

·         Providing a Schedule of Documents in the form of an easy checklist listing which documents need to be gathered attending at your particular circumstances.

·         Considering the supporting evidence you have provided, which we anticipate will take 1 to 1.5 hours*.

·         Where necessary, helping you obtain further evidence (such as medical records and bank statements), including taking statements of any witnesses/referees.

·         Step-by-step guidance on the process for making the application for Permanent Residence.

·         Preparing your application and submitting it on your behalf, which we anticipate will take 1 to 2 hours*.

·         Providing a covering letter to accompany the application.

·         First port of call for any enquiries or follow-ups.

·         Detailed advice about the outcome of the application and any further steps you need to take.

* the amount of hours depends on the number of documents, whether they need to be translated, whether anything is missing and how long it will take to obtain the missing documents.

What our Capped Fee quoted here does not include:

·         Any disbursements payable to third parties during the preparation of your application, as mentioned above.

·         Any Home Office fees for making the application, as mentioned above.

·         Where the Home Office refuse your application, advice and assistance in relation to any appeal.

How long will my application take?

We cannot guarantee how long the Home Office will take to process your application. It will depend on the load of work and the processing times of the Home Office at the time your application is submitted.

* Please note the anticipated number of hours and Capped Fee are an estimate based on the facts above. All applications are likely to vary and of course, we can give you a more accurate estimate once we have more information about your specific case.

Key Stages and Time Scales

The key stages include:

·         Taking the client’s instructions

·         Considering the suitability of the citizenship application (1 week)

·         Providing the client with a bespoke list of information and documents we require to prepare the application (1 week)

·         Preparing the application (2-3 months)

·         Submitting the application

·         Waiting for the resolution (2-4 months)

·         Coordinating the applicant’s biometrics appointment

·         Coordinating the applicant’s British Citizenship Ceremony

Disbursements

We would expect the disbursements to include:

·         General Registry Fees to obtain the certificates required for the application (£11 – £16 per certificate. We would expect to request 1-4 certificates)

·         Sworn translator fees (approx. £35 per page)

·         Postage fees (approx. £7.95 – £30)

·         Application fee (£1,630)

·         Biometrics appointment fee (£0 – £60 depending on the appointment selected)

2. Applications for Spanish Citizenship

Our professional fees are charged at an hourly rate of £275 plus VAT.

On average, this type of work takes between 3-4 hours to complete. We usually cap our professional fees for this type of applications working for a Capped Fee of 1000 plus VAT per application.

However, in any case we will have to consider the particular circumstances of the case and number of applicants for whom you wish to obtain the Spanish Citizenship in addition to you. When the number of applicants is more than one we will provide you with another estimation of fees in accordance with the particularities of the case, additional documents that might be obtained.

Our estimation of fees does not include any disbursements we might incur on your behalf while preparing or submitting the application and which are payable to third parties (i.e. translator fees in case any document needs to be translated, additional fees incurred in obtaining any missing document).

The exact number of hours it will take may vary depending on the particular circumstances of your case. Such as:

– How quick we can take instructions from you and know the particularities of your case;
– Whether any supporting document is missing and how long it will take to be obtained;
– Whether any supporting document need to be translated and/or certified;

What services are included

The work will involve:

·         Taking your instructions and discussing your circumstances in detail.

·         Providing you advice on what documents need to be obtained.

·         Step-by-step guidance on the process for making the application for Spanish Citizenship.

·         Where necessary, helping you obtain the supporting documents.

·         Preparing your application and submitting it on your behalf.

·         First port of call for any enquiries or follow-ups.

·         Detailed advice about the outcome of the application and any further steps you need to take. Detailed advice about the outcome of the application and any further steps you need to take.

What our Capped Fee quoted here does not include:

·         Any disbursements payable to third parties during the preparation of your application, as mentioned above.

·         Where the Spanish Consulate refuses your application, advice and assistance in relation to any appeal. In this case another estimation of fees will be given to you if you want to submit again the application or you want to appeal the refusal.

How long will my application take?

We cannot guarantee how long the Spanish Consulate will take to process your application. It will depend on the load of work and the processing times of the Spanish Consulate at the time your application is submitted.

*Please note the anticipated number of hours and Capped Fee are an estimate based on the facts above. All applications are likely to vary and of course, we can give you a more accurate estimate once we have more information about your specific case.

Key Stages

The key stages include:

·         Taking the client’s instructions

·         Considering the suitability of the citizenship application (1 week)

·         Preparing the application (2-3 months)

·         Submitting the application

·         Waiting for the resolution (2-4 months)

Disbursements

We would expect the disbursements to include:

·         General Registry Fees to obtain the certificates required for the application ((£11 – £16 per certificate. We would expect to request 1-4 certificates)

·         Legalisation fees (£45 per document)

·         Sworn translator fees (approx. £35 per page)

·         Postage fees (approx. £7.95 – £30)

3. Reports on Spanish Law to deal with immigration matters

Our professional fees are charged at an hourly rate of £275 plus VAT

We will have to consider the particular circumstances of the case and issues to be addressed in the report to give you with an estimation of our fees and time to complete the report.

What services are included

The work will involve:

·         Taking instructions and discussing the particularities of the case you need advice for.

·         Considering any documents that might be relevant for the report.

·         Writing the report.

·         Giving a time within reason to address any questions and give any clarifications to specific points of the report.

How long it will take to have the report?

We will usually have the report ready within two weeks from the date we are fully instructed by you and have all the facts and documents needed for their consideration.

Key Stages

The key stages include:

·         Taking the client’s instructions

·         Considering the content of the report taking into account the client’s circumstances and relevant legislation and case law, where necessary (1 week)

·         Preparing the report (1 – weeks)

·         Sending the report to the client

Disbursements

We would expect the disbursements to include:

·         Postage fees (approx. £7.95 – £30)