please be careful if you get them to be executor they will want a percentage off the whole estate value including property
when my dad died 60% off the estate was already sorted but any solicitor involved as an executor would still expect there percentage off the whole estate value rather than the percentage they had to do any work over
Yes, they can claim up to 25% of the total value of the Estate and often do without justification. That's why they offer cheap Wills, where they write the Will so they can include themselves as the nominated Executor. They might reduce the cost, if the family mucks in with some of the effort, under their direction, but still hyper expensive. Even more expensive, where a bank is nominated as Executor.
My partner passed away four years ago, having got a cut price Will written up by a solicitor, with two solicitors nominated as Executors, plus myself. The Estate valued at £200K, with over £20K of that in cash. So there was potential for them to claim up to £50K of that in fees. At which point, I began researching what might be involved to get the solicitors to Renounce and what might be involved in sorting things out myself.
I hit numerous blank walls, but eventually found that the Law Society had suggested and recommended just months before, that solicitors should renounce their involvement, if requested to do so by all the beneficiaries in agreement and it seemed there would be capable Executor able to sort things out remaining - me. A letter to that effect from me, plus a High Court fee and I was then made the sole Executor, the solicitors had no choice in view of the fact that had pointed out the LS's recommendation.
Hard and intimidating work for a first timer, having to do it at a really bad time, but I got there in the end. It took a full 12months to complete the work, but the solicitors would likely have taken much longer. All the cash was to be split with her adult grand kids, they would have certainly got nothing had the solicitors been involved and got their fees.