A. Williams & Co. (Solicitors)


Welcome

Welcome to the website of A. Williams & Co. (Solicitors).

This firm is a cross border practice and our website contains valuable resources of legal information to assist with solutions to relevant legal issues.

Home Speciality Practice
Speciality Practice - Residential Conveyancing
Speciality Practice
Residential - Conveyancing

The services we provide are all on a privately paying basis.

Information on the Residential Property Conveyancing Services we provide and those we do not provide

We provided advice and representation to both landlords and tenants in respect of their rights in applications to acquire the freehold of leasehold houses and lease extensions of both flats and houses. We also advised property owners on short-term lettings for investment purposes and prospective tenants on the terms of tenancy agreements for occupation. Additional work done included;

  1. Property conveyancing in England and Wales.
  2. Cross border property trust litigation.
  3. Remortgaging.
  4. Advice on Cross border property finance.
  5. Preparation of lease extensions.
  6. Preparation of Licences to Assign.
  7. Effecting Charge of property in the Land Registry.
  8. A consideration of the effect of a freehold merger on existing underlease covenants and section 139 of the Law of Property Act 1925.

INFORMATION ON THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE

Our fees covers all of the legal work stated below required to complete the purchase of your new home or property, including dealing with registration at the Land Registry and dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) if the property is in England, or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property you wish to buy is in Wales.

THE BREAKDOWN OF OUR SERVICES PROVIDED

The services provided and the precise stages involved in the purchase of your residential or other property may vary according to the circumstances.

However, below we have suggested some key stages that will be included in our services:

  1. We take your instructions and give you initial advice
  2. We check your independently sourced finances are in place to fund the purchase and contact lender's solicitors if needed.
  3. We receive and advise you on the contract documents.
  4. We carry out searches on the property.
  5. We obtain planning documentation if required.
  6. We make any necessary enquiries of seller's/buyer's solicitor as required.
  7. We provide you with a legal report on title which will include written advice on all documents and information received.
  8. We go through conditions of mortgage offer with you (if required) although the issue of your financing is a separate cost to be agreed with you.
  9. We send you a final contract for signature.
  10. We agree a completion date (date from which you own the property).
  11. We exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened.
  12. We arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you.
  13. We complete the purchase by making the payment to the Seller's solicitors and / or to you depending on whom we are acting for.
  14. We Deal with the payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax (as required).
  15. We deal with the application for registration at Land Registry (as required).

THE SERVICES WE DO NOT PROVIDE

We do not provide you with a broker or financing service to source loan monies to purchase your property and you have to source this independently of our firm.

We generally only carry out the residential conveyancing service only for our established clients.

THE PEOPLE CARRYING OUT THE RESIDENTIAL CONVEYANCING WORK

Akin Williams our Principal has over 30 years post qualification experience as a solicitor and barrister in a foreign common law jurisdiction and over 17 years post qualification experience as a UK solicitor. He has the overall responsibility for your case. He is qualified as an International Bar Fellow in International Legal Practice. He is assisted by barristers or legal assistants or other experts as may be required. Having previously successfully acted for a freeholder in central London for over 15 years, Akin Williams spends 100% of his time on each of the work areas and supervises those who assist him with the work being carried out.

OUR PRICES AND COSTS

Our Legal fee starts from a minimum cost of £3,860 plus 20% vat upwards depending on the complexity of the transaction.

Please see the table below for our range of our basic fees including our cost for a detailed report on title dependent on the property value and the work to be done;

Property ValueAvg Cost (Plus 20% vat) including a detailed report on title

Up to £100,000£4,030

£100,001 to £200,000£4,110

£200,001 to £300,000£4,230

£300,001 to £400,000£4,310

£400,001 to £500,000£4,390

£500,001 to £600,000£4,560

£600,001 to £700,000£4,630

£700,001 to £800,000£4,850

£800,001 to £900,000£5,010

£900,001 to £1,000,000£5,100

OUR DISBURSEMENTS SUCH AS SEARCH FEES, HM LAND REGISTRY FEES, MONEY TRANSFER FEE, REFERRAL FEES

In addition to the basic costs, we find that search fees are usually a minimum of £150.00 depending on the nature of the searches required

HM Land Registry fees will not usually be less than £540.00

Electronic money transfer fee £21 per transfer

20% VAT is payable dependent on the fees charged

Stamp Duty or Land Tax (on purchase)

This depends on the purchase price of your property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC's website or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority's website.

HOW LONG WILL MY HOUSE PURCHASE TAKE?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move in to your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 3 – 8 weeks.

It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are a first time buyer, purchasing a new build property with a mortgage in principle, it could take up to eight weeks. However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between three weeks – six months. In such a situation additional charges would apply.

 

Services Provided

Work Done

Please contact us for more details on any of the foregoing :

EMPLOYMENT LAW

We represented clients on a wide range of employment matters, including;

  • redundancy, unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal
  • race discrimination claims
  • sexual harassment claims
  • disability discrimination
  • drafting compromise and conciliation agreements

Example of recent work;

  • Filing a claim on behalf of a probationary employee against her employer for 'automatically unfair dismissal,' and representing the employee at the Tribunal.
  • Acting on behalf of an employer in the private sector in relation to a claim for sex discrimination, breach of contract and personal injury and working with ACAS towards reaching a conciliated agreement.
  • Providing advice to an employee in public office in respect of discrimination claims against the employer.

FAMILY LAW

We provided advice and representation in the following areas;

  • separation and judicial separation .
  • divorce petition grounds.
  • financial matters arising out of separation or divorce.
  • Review of tax and pensions matters.
  • International and jurisdictional issues.
  • Injunctions and restraining orders.
  • Cohabitation and premarital contracts.

Where children were involved, our areas of advice and assistance included:

  • Custody issues and maintenance payments towards the children.
  • Residency issues.
  • Contact order issues.
  • International Adoption advice.
  • International Wardship and guardianship issues.

WILLS & INTESTACY

We have represented and provided advice to international clients in matters involving contentious probate and intestacy disputes either directly or through our vast network of international law firms sometimes where the client could not travel overseas or where litigation had already been commenced against the client in the UK or overseas.


IMMIGRATION

We provided advice and representation on the following issues;

  • Preparation of work permit applications.
  • Rights of detainees in immigration matters.
  • Entry clearance for Highly Skilled Migrants.
  • Naturalisation.
  • Human rights applications.
  • EU issues.
  • Conduct of adjudicators and Tribunal appeals.

LITIGATION

We instructed counsel and represented clients in all the following courts;

  • County Court.
  • Commercial Court.
  • Magistrates Court.
  • High Court.
  • Employment Tribunal.
  • Bankruptcy Court.
  • Privy Council.

A. Williams & Co. (Solicitors) ♦ 33 Cavendish Square, London, W1G 0PW, United Kingdom

Tel; +44 203 287 3519, +44 203 287 3516 ♦ Fax; +44 207 629 9456, +44 207 900 2529

Licensed by the Law Society of England & Wales. A.Williams & Co. is registered with the Solicitors Regulations Authority No. 388358 Vat No. GB 830 3372 57