The firm is regulated by Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Our firm
Winside and Freeman, is a law firm established in 2018, but has behind it over 32 years of private and in-house practice experience. Our office is based in London.
Our Principal, is qualified to practise both in the UK and Nigeria, specialises in diverse areas of the law. We offer specialist services to individuals and organisations across the UK and the world in civil matters and niche practice of corporate governance, GDPR, Charity Law, and other areas.
We are often able to act for individuals on a 'no win, no fee' basis. Our offices have excellent transport links. We are able to arrange home visits if necessary.
We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Meet our Principal
Tayo Arowojolu is the Principal Solicitor at Winside and Freeman Solicitors, a boutique law firm operating from London. Popularly known as PTA, Tayo is an exceptionally outstanding lawyer. A versatile and inspirational speaker with 32 years of combined legal practise both in the UK and Nigeria. Tayo Arowojolu is vast with extensive knowledge in many areas of the law gained in private and in-house practise. He has tried and tested abilities in advocacy, training, mentorship, leadership, and management. Tayo obtained a law degree (LLB) from the University of Lagos, and Barrister at Law (BL)at the Nigerian Law School in Lagos. After a stint of practise as a Barrister and Solicitor in Nigeria, he proceeded to England where he obtained a Masters of Law degree in Corporate and Commercial Law from the prestigious University College London (UCL). He was called to the English Bar in 1993 and enrolled as a Solicitor in 1998. He is the winner of the 2002 best lawyer award. Tayo Arowojolu is a (EU) GDPR Certified Practitioner with expertise in Data Protection, Freedom of Information Act; Environmental Information Regulations Act. He has advised many organisations including Local Government Authorities in Corporate and Information Governance, monitoring and has acted as a RIPA (Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act) Gate Keeper. Tayo helps major organisations in developing/ maintaining policies and procedures, reviews potential risks, identifies changes in legislation and contractual changes related to Information security and data protection in line with DPA, GDPR, PECR and other standards. Tayo has taken up several high profile and reported cases including well known money laundering and big money divorce cases. Tayo is an author of the best sellers Prayer Book; ‘Make that move right now’ and Wealthy Ways. He is a blogger on www.tayoarowojolu.blogspot.com, a Conference Pastor and the President of the Covenant Men International
Areas of Work
Arbitration and alternative dispute resolution
Employment
Charity
Immigration and Nationality
Litigation
Wills and Probate
Family and Matrimonial
Landlord and Tenant
GDPR and Governance
Corporate and Commercial advice
Expert on Nigerian Law and practice
Potential Charges for Services
PROBATE
Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets
An approximate estimate of our costs will be 1.5% of the gross value of the general assets of the Estate, plus .75% of the gross value of the flat, together with vat and expenses.
The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end.
We reserve the right to charge additional fees at our hourly rate if the matter becomes extraordinarily complicated, difficult or time consuming. Naturally, we shall inform you of any variation from any estimate should this arise.
Should the transaction fail to complete (for whatever reason) the firm's abortive fees for the transaction will be such sum as is reasonable having regard to the amount of work done by that stage, together with VAT and the disbursements incurred. The fees charged will be referable to our hourly charge out rate of £300.00
From time to time it may be necessary for some parts of your matter to be dealt with by a Clerk, Paralegal or Assistant Solicitor, in which case their work will be supervised by a Partner. Our hourly charging rate for a Clerk or Paralegal is £150.00 and £200.00 for an Assistant Solicitor.
We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:
- There is a valid will
- There is no more than one property
- There are no more than 2 bank or building society accounts
- There are no other intangible assets
- There are 4 - 6 beneficiaries
- There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
- There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
- There are no claims made against the estate
Disbursements included in this fee:
- Probate application fee of £215.00 + £2.00 for 4 copies of the grant
- £7.00 Swearing of the oath (per executor)
- Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£3.00 per beneficiary)
- £77.58 Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
- £222.00 Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. On some rare occasions we can arrange an agreed fees. Please discuss with our Principal.
Potential additional costs
- If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there is likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending on the estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information.
- If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £0.50 (1 per asset usually).
- Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.
On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 12 - 18 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 1 – 2 months. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 6 – 12 months. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 2 - 3 weeks.
As part of our fee we will:
- Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor to work on your matter
- Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
- Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require
- Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application
- Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
- Draft a legal oath for you to swear
- Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
- Obtain the Probate and securely send two copies to you
- Collect and distribute all assets in the estate
IMMIGRATION
IMMIGRATION
Types of Applications we cover:
1) Initial Application As A Parent Of A Child Who Has Lived In The UK Continuously For Seven Years
2) Family Members Of British Citizens And Settled Persons including Fiancée and Spouse UK, Proposed, Civil Partner and Unmarried, Same Sex Partner visa applications.
3) Indefinite Leave to Remain as victim of Domestic Violence or Bereaved Partner
4) Parent of a British Child or Children of a parent with limited leave to remain
5) EU Law applications
6) Long Residency applications
7) British Citizenship applications
8) Turkish Worker and Self-employed visa applications
9) UK Visitor visas
Hourly rate: £300.00 per hour plus VAT however most applications are quoted on a fixed fee basis.
On average, the above types of work takes between 6-7 hours to complete. This means that on average costs are between £2,000 and £2,500. All figures include VAT unless specifically stated.
The exact number of hours it will take depends on the circumstances in your case. Such as:
- The amount of supporting evidence that we need to consider
- Which language(s) you speak
- Whether you are applying with other dependents
If you are able to provide sufficient evidence at our first meeting and clearly meet the applicable Immigration Rules, the cost is likely to be at the lower end of this range or slightly lower between £1,500 - £2,000.
What services are included
The work will involve:
- 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;
- giving 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, which on average takes 2 hours;
- considering the supporting evidence you have provided, which we anticipate will take 2 to 3 hours;
- where necessary, helping you obtain further evidence (such as medical records and bank statements), including taking statements of any witnesses;
- preparing your application and submitting it on your behalf, which we anticipate will take hours 2;
- Attendance at a Home Office interview: if the Home Office ask you to attend an interview, we will give you clear advice (and discuss the possibility of us attending with you) at the appropriate time. This could be between 2 and 3 hours of work.
- giving you 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 Disbursements (not included in costs set out above):
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as visa fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
- Interpreters fees will be advised. This kind of application will normally require between 3-4 hours with an interpreter, depending on the complexity of your case.
- Independent expert reports e.g. medical experts. These are not required in many cases: we will let you know as soon as possible if we consider an expert report is necessary.
- If there is an interview and we do attend with you, there will be additional disbursements in respect of our mileage/travel expenses.
The costs quoted here do not include:
- Any Home Office fees for making the application. You will pay this to the Home Office directly as part of the application process.
- 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. Read the current processing times.
We will normally be able to submit this type of application within 4 weeks of you instructing us, but we will let you know at the earliest opportunity if it is likely to take longer than this.
Please note the anticipated number of hours and fees 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.
EMPLOYMENT
Our pricing for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal
Simple case: £3,000.00-£5,000.00 (excluding VAT)
Medium complexity case: £6,000.00 -£8,000.00 (excluding VAT)
High complexity case: £9,000.00 -£12,000.00 + (excluding VAT)
Factors that could make a case more complex:
- If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim
- Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person
- Making or defending a costs application
- Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties)
- The number of witnesses and documents
- If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. if you are dismissed after blowing the whistle on your employer
- Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal
There will be an additional charge for attending a Tribunal Hearing of between £750.00 - £1,000.00 per day (excluding VAT). Generally, we would allow 1 - 2 days depending on the complexity of your case.
Disbursements
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
Counsel's fees estimated between £900.00 to £1,200.00 per day (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation)
Key stages
The fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:
- Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on merits and likely compensation (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change)
- Entering into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached;
- Preparing claim or response
- Reviewing and advising on claim or response from other party
- Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process
- preparing or considering a schedule of loss
- Preparing for (and attending) a Preliminary Hearing
- Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents
- Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses
- preparing bundle of documents
- Reviewing and advising on the other party's witness statements
- agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list
- Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing, including instructions to Counsel
The stages set out above are an indication and if some of stages above are not required, the fee will be reduced. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged on your individual needs.
How long will my matter take?
The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take 4-6 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 4 -8 months. This is just an estimate and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.
We are currently not registered for VAT.
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Display their FAQs
1. Do you charge consultation fees? Yes. We charge a fixed sum of £100 as consultation fees. However, the first 15 mins consultation is free of charge. The maximum time you can spend with any fee earner as consultation is 45 mins.