Terms & Conditions

Scope and Confirmation of instruction

We will draft your Will in accordance with your instructions.

Responsibility for work

The Solicitors in our Private Client Department will have primary responsibility for your Will. Alexander Spurr is the Solicitor with responsibility for the Wills and Probate team. Christopher Sanders and Paul Austin are the Directors with overall responsibility for the Private Client Department. Although we will attempt to avoid changes in personnel wherever possible, we will let you know if any changes become neccessary.

Taxation

Inheritance Tax would be payable on your estate if your property and affairs exceeds £312,000 at death or would do so if any life time gifts made by you in the 7 years proceeding death would bring your estate over this level if included. 

By utilising our on line Will service we are unable to give you specific advice as to your circumstances and you acknowledge this to be the case. If you consider that Inheritance Tax may be an issue we provide a phone service to provide you with specific advice to your circumstances.

All our advice is based upon the information you disclose to us and we cannot be held liable for any information which is not disclosed that may affect your Inheritance tax position.

Financial Services and Advice

We at Austin Sanders Law Firm are not authorised by the Financial Services Authority. However, we are included on the register maintained by the Financial Services Authority so that we can carry on insurance mediation activity, which is broadly the advising on, selling, and administration of insurance contracts. The Law Society regulates this part of our business, including arrangements for complaints or redress if something goes wrong. The register can be accessed via the Financial Services Authority website at www.fsa.gov.uk/register.

Storage of papers and deeds

After completing the transaction we will keep your file of papers (except for any papers which you ask to be returned to you) for a period of 6 years and on the understanding that we have your authority to destroy the file 6 years after sending you our final account.   We will not destroy any documents you ask us to deposit in safe custody.

If you wish to take our storage option for your Will we will enclose a Direct Debit mandate with the completed Will for you to sign and return to us and you authorise us to obtain the storage fees as priced until we receive your instruction to cancel the storage of your document. The fee will be payable on each anniversary. 

Termination

You may terminate your instructions in writing and at any time.  We are entitled to keep all your papers and documents while monies are owing to us. We are entitled to charge for fees incurred to the point of termination. If this is at the stage we have forwarded to you your completed Will we will be entitled to charge the full amount quoted.

We will terminate your instructions only with good reason and on giving you reasonable notice.

Payment

Please note our accounts are due for payment upon submission and must be settled in full prior to completion of your matter.   We reserve the right to charge interest on any sum outstanding for more than one month at the rate of 2% per month.   If the matter does not proceed for any reason, the amount of work undertaken will be charged to you.

Agreement

Your continuing instructions will amount to your acceptance of these terms of business for both the work we are currently undertaking and any future work on which you instruct us (unless we notify you of any changes to these terms).

Client Care

Finally, we are confident that we will be able to provide you with an efficient and effective service.   However, should there be any aspect of our service with which you are unhappy, please initially take the matter up with Alexander Spurr of our Wills and Probate department..

Our firm is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Our firm holds Indemnity Insurance to the sum of £2,000,000