Client Care Letter

(Confidential Firm)

Probate Department

[Office Address]

[Date]

Mr. XYZ

123 Confidential address

(Redacted)

Dear Mr XYZ

Thank you for instructing (Redacted) Solicitors to assist you with the administration of the estate of your late (redacted). Please allow me to extend my heartfelt condolences to you and your family during this time of loss.

This matter has been referred to us by your financial advisor, who has kindly informed us that they will provide assistance in gathering the necessary financial details for the inheritance tax documentation. This collaboration will be especially helpful given the complexity and size of the estate.

The purpose of this letter is to outline the steps we will take to assist you, provide a clear understanding of our terms of engagement, and explain the responsibilities and obligations involved in administering the estate.

I, [Name], am a paralegal in the Probate Department of (Redacted) Solicitors and will have primary responsibility for this matter. I will work closely under the supervision of a senior solicitor within our team to ensure that all aspects of the estate administration are handled with the utmost care and professionalism. Should I be unavailable at any time, my colleague, [Insert Name], will be able to assist you.

Our team is committed to keeping you informed throughout the process, and I will endeavour to respond to telephone calls within 24 hours and correspondence within 48 hours.

The services we will provide include the following:

(a) Conducting a comprehensive evaluation to ascertain the assets and liabilities as of the date of death.

(b) Drafting and preparing all necessary probate documentation, including the submission of the appropriate HMRC inheritance tax accounts.

(c) Registering the Grant of Probate with relevant entities, such as financial institutions, insurance providers, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), and others as required.

(d) Gathering and consolidating all assets belonging to the estate.

(e) Facilitating the valuation, marketing, and sale of any property owned by the deceased, ensuring compliance with legal and procedural obligations.

(f) Settling all outstanding debts and liabilities of the estate, including funeral costs, taxes, and other financial obligations.

(g) Compiling and presenting detailed final estate accounts, followed by the distribution of the remaining assets to beneficiaries in accordance with the terms of the Will

It is my aim to offer all clients an efficient and satisfactory service and I am confident that I will be able to meet such standards. However, if you find that dissatisfied with any aspect of our service, and the issue cannot be resolved between us, then you should raise the matter with our Complaints Partner. It is our objective to keep you well-informed of any progress and explain any legal processes as simply as possible. 

Our fees for this matter will be calculated on a time-spent basis, with the current composite hourly rate being £[Rate], exclusive of VAT. Given the size and complexity of the estate, an additional percentage charge may apply to reflect the increased level of responsibility involved.

While we cannot provide an exact estimate at this early stage, we will keep you informed of costs as the matter progresses. Should significant additional work be required, we will seek your approval before proceeding. Interim bills may be issued, and these can be settled from the estate’s funds once available.

As substantial sums may be held on behalf of the estate, these funds will be deposited in our general client account. Interest earned on these funds will be accounted for in line with our firm’s policy. Please note that the interest rate applied may differ from rates available on personal accounts.

If you are dissatisfied with the service we provide at any stage, we encourage you to notify us promptly so that we can address and resolve the matter to your satisfaction. A copy of our complaints procedure is available upon request. Should we be unable to resolve your concerns internally, you may escalate your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, an independent body that investigates service issues involving legal professionals.

The Legal Ombudsman requires complaints to be raised within one year of the event or omission in question or within one year of becoming aware of the issue. Additionally, you must refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response. They can be contacted at PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ, via telephone at 0300 555 0333, or through their website at www.legalombudsman.org.uk.

You may terminate your instructions to us at any time by providing written notice. However, we reserve the right to retain your papers and documents if there are outstanding charges or expenses. In certain circumstances, you may feel it is appropriate for us to cease acting, such as if you are unable to provide clear instructions or if you lose confidence in our ability to manage your matter.

We also reserve the right to withdraw our services, but only for valid reasons, such as non-payment of interim bills or insolvency. In such cases, we will provide reasonable notice of our decision to cease acting.

If either party decides to terminate the engagement, all outstanding fees and expenses will become payable immediately upon the termination date.

You should be assured that we will provide a free of charge storage of (redacted)’s Will and other documents that have been entrusted to us. We have secure storage facilities which will protect the Will and the accompanying documents from any damage. We will also register the Will with the National Wills database, for an extra charge, for further security. If you wish to review the Will or any accompanying documents that are held by us, we recommend that you request an appointment at least a week in advance so that we can withdraw it from our storage facilities. 

It is possible that we would have to arrange for insurance products for you. While, we are not authorised to do so by the Financial Conduct Authority, we are included on the register maintained by them which allows us to carry on insurance mediation activity, which generally covers aspects such as giving advice on, administrating or selling insurance contracts. In Conveyancing Probate transactions there is usually an Indemnity Policy for such things as Defective Title or Absence of Planning Consent. 

In accordance with the 2021 anti-money laundering guidance issued by the Legal Sector Affinity Group (LSAG), it is a statutory requirement for paralegals/fee earners, banks, building societies, and other regulated entities to obtain satisfactory proof of identity from clients and, where appropriate, individuals connected to the client or their matter. This obligation exists because professionals handling client funds or property, including solicitors and paralegals, may inadvertently be exploited in unlawful money laundering activities.

To ensure compliance with these legal obligations, we must obtain evidence of your identity at the earliest practicable opportunity and, in any event, before undertaking substantive work on your matter. Our procedure involves requesting certified copies of an acceptable form of photographic identification, such as a passport or driving licence, alongside proof of your residential address, as detailed in the attached ID List.

If you are unable to provide the required documentation, please notify our office as soon as possible so that we may explore alternative methods to verify your identity in accordance with applicable regulations.

Additionally, paralegals/fee earners associated with the firm are legally mandated to report to the relevant authorities any knowledge or reasonable suspicion that the funds involved in this matter (or any funds provided on behalf of a client) are derived from criminal conduct.

Please be ensured that we take all reasonable steps to keep your personal information safe and secure. We will use information which you provide or which we obtain through our dealings with you for our provision of legal services and to administer your account with us. It is also worth noting that our work for you may require us to give information to third parties such as identity verification service providers, expert witnesses and other professional advisors. We may also use the information to contact you about our services which we feel may be of interest and use to you. 

To limit your personal liability as executor for unknown debts or claims against the estate, we recommend publishing statutory notices under Section 27 of the Trustee Act 1925. These notices alert creditors and claimants to submit any claims within a specified period, typically two months. The cost for this is approximately (£/- cost). Please confirm if you would like us to proceed with this safeguard and note that this does not protect you from claims under the Inheritance Act for example someone who claims they should be entitled under the Will to a share of the estate. 

If our retainer is concluded away from our premises the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 may apply to our retainer. If so, your instructions to us can be cancelled within 14 days of receiving this letter without giving any reason. To exercise your right to cancel, you must inform us of your decision to cancel this contract by a clear statement (e.g. a letter sent by post, fax or e-mail). Once we have started work you may be charged if you then cancel your instructions.

Your acceptance of these terms will constitute an agreement for work to commence prior to the expiry of the cancellation period if applicable. 

To be sure that I have understood your instructions properly and that you have received, understood and accepted these terms, I would ask that you sign and return one copy of the terms of business letter, but would point out that continued instruction to us will be deemed to be an acceptance of the terms. 

In the meantime, if you have any queries or matters you wish to raise, please do not hesitate to contact me. Once we have received confirmation to proceed, we will begin gathering the necessary information and liaising with the financial advisor. We appreciate the trust you have placed in our firm and look forward to assisting you with the administration of (Redacted)’s estate.

Yours sincerely,

(Redacted) Solicitors

Signed ………………………..                                                    Dated…………………….