Relieve Fee Earners & Accelerate Estate Closures While We Run
IHT Schedules, Asset Valuations & HMCTS Portals
Stop losing high-value billable solicitor hours chasing bank date-of-death balances, reconciling share register certificates, drafting Section 27 notices, and balancing complex estate accounting ledgers. Sagedoer provides Managed Legal Virtual Assistants for Probate Practices supervised by a dedicated Project Manager at $0 management fees.
Why Probate Solicitors Partner With Sagedoer
Qualified solicitors and fee earners deliver maximum value by providing sensitive counsel, drafting complex wills and trusts, and interpreting contentious probate claims—not by typing out bank enquiry letters and chasing estate asset valuations.
Asset & Liability Discovery Matrix
Your VA dispatches formal date-of-death valuation requests to banks, building societies, NS&I, share registrars (Equiniti, Computershare), pension trustees, and HMRC. We maintain master schedules logging interest accruals, funeral expenses, and mortgage liabilities.
IHT400 & HMCTS Application Collation
Keep applications moving through probate registries. We collate schedules for Inheritance Tax reporting (IHT400/IHT205), cross-reference gift histories (7-year rule), assemble verified death certificates, and draft MyHMCTS grant application packs for fee-earner review.
Comprehensive Estate Accounting
Eliminate year-end reconciliations. Your VA balances detailed estate accounts comprising the Capital Account, Income Account, and Distribution Account—tracking interim interim distributions, ongoing property outgoings, and legacy disbursements with audit-ready accuracy.
Statutory Notices & Will Searches
Shield executors from unforeseen creditor claims. We draft and lodge Section 27 Trustee Act 1925 statutory notices in The London Gazette and local newspapers, order Certainty Will Searches, and log Estatesearch asset discovery reports.
Beneficiary ID Verification & AML
Ensure pristine SRA compliance. We coordinate beneficiary KYC/AML verification, collect certified passports and proof of address documents, conduct bankruptcy searches via K2/Land Charges, and maintain clear contact audit trails for residuary beneficiaries.
Dedicated Project Manager ($0 Fee)
Zero administrative micromanagement for your practice. Your dedicated Sagedoer Project Manager oversees daily VA task outputs, checks estate ledger accuracy, and conducts casework reviews at no additional cost.
Probate & Legal Platforms We Master
We integrate directly into your practice management software, digital court portals, and specialist probate discovery suites.
What Your Probate VA Executes Daily
We handle the administrative burden of bereavement correspondence, asset collation, and estate financial reconciliation so you can manage more active files profitably.
Institution & Bank Liaison
- Bereavement Notification Packets: Sending death notifications with sealed grant requests to clearing banks, NS&I, building societies, and life insurance providers.
- Valuation Certificate Tracking: Logging date-of-death capital values, accrued interest, ISA status, and credit card/unsecured loan balances.
- DWP & Pension Reconciliation: Contacting the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to confirm state pension final calculations and private annuity terms.
- Property & Chattels Valuations: Requesting RICS red-book valuations for probate real estate, coordinating local estate agents, and tracking vacant property insurance terms.
IHT Schedules & Grant Prep
- IHT Schedule Drafting: Entering verified figures into supplementary IHT400 schedules (IHT402 transferable nil rate band, IHT405 bank accounts, IHT406 stocks and shares).
- MyHMCTS Portal Drafting: Populating digital probate applications, uploading scanned original wills, codicils, and death certificates for fee-earner sign-off.
- Section 27 Notices & Gazette Ads: Placing notices for creditors under Section 27 of the Trustee Act 1925 in The London Gazette and local print circulations.
- Certainty & Land Registry Searches: Conducting national register searches for later testamentary documents and ordering official copies of title registers.
Estate Accounts & Distribution
- Estate Ledger Maintenance: Recording all incoming asset realizations into client account ledgers, tracking income tax on estate income, and tabulating legal fees.
- Beneficiary AML & Bankruptcy Checks: Requesting certified photo identification, running K2 Land Charges bankruptcy checks prior to every distribution payment.
- Interim & Final Accounts Collation: Producing clean, audited PDF estate accounts showing specific pecuniary legacies and residuary entitlement breakdowns.
- File Archiving & SRA File Closures: Ensuring all closure checklists, zero-balance reconciliation certificates, and R185 tax deduction forms are stored compliant with SRA rules.
A Frictionless 4-Step Process
From onboarding your practice management system to uninterrupted casework support with zero management friction.
Submit Requirements
Share your firm details, active probate matter volume, and legal tech stack (LEAP, Clio, Quill, Microsoft 365) via Email, Contact Form, or WhatsApp.
Finalise the Deal
Your dedicated Sagedoer Project Manager reviews your firm's confidentiality protocols, signs comprehensive GDPR/NDAs, and finalizes your tailored onboarding timeline.
Expert Execution
Delegate asset valuation letters, IHT schedules, and estate account balancing. Your dedicated PM monitors daily output quality and data precision with zero downtime.
Pay Only for Output
We log and charge exclusively for the VA's actual productive casework hours. Your dedicated Project Manager's ongoing supervision and quality audits are completely free.
Traditional Freelance Portals vs. Sagedoer
Why forward-thinking probate solicitors and private client teams choose our managed model over unvetted freelancers.
| Feature | Traditional Freelance Portals | The Smart Choice: Sagedoer |
|---|---|---|
| Platform & Management Fees | Up to 40% hidden markups, job bidding fees, and monthly platform tiers | 0% Hidden Fees. Pay strictly for productive hours. |
| Daily Team Management | Solicitors must train, supervise, and micromanage freelancers during busy file cycles | Dedicated Project Manager acts as your single point of contact |
| Probate & Legal Literacy | Generic generalists unfamiliar with IHT400, Section 27, grant types, and estate ledgers | Internally vetted legal assistants trained in probate SOPs & case management |
| Hiring & Deployment Speed | Weeks lost sifting through CVs while probate matters remain stalled | Rapid deployment. Matched with an experienced assistant in 24-48 hrs |
| Billing & Invoicing | Disjointed multi-contractor invoices with foreign transaction fees | Simple, centralized, transparent USD invoicing |
| Staff Turnover & Disruptions | Start over completely when a solo freelancer departs mid-estate administration | Seamless internal bench backup coverage with zero file disruption |
Simple, Predictable Hourly Pricing
No lock-in retainers or platform commissions. Dedicated Project Manager included at zero extra charge.
Est. $560 USD / Month (4 Weeks)
- Pay only for hours of pure work
- Dedicated Project Manager included
- Free management supervision
- Zero setup or onboarding fees
- No monthly membership charges
Est. $960 USD / Month (4 Weeks)
- Pay only for hours of pure work
- Dedicated Project Manager included
- Free management supervision
- Zero setup or onboarding fees
- No monthly membership charges
What Private Client Partners Say
Real experiences from probate solicitors, estate administration practitioners, and boutique law firm partners.
"We manage around 75 open estate administrations in LEAP. Our Sagedoer VA handles all bank notifications, asset discovery spreadsheets, and Section 27 notices. It freed up over 18 fee-earning hours weekly for our department."
"Estate accounts reconciliation used to bottle-neck our file closures. Our VA tracks every dividend stub, capital realization, and interim distribution in Excel and Quill with zero discrepancy. Our files close 4 weeks faster."
"Having a dedicated Project Manager is invaluable. When probate registries reject applications over minor typos or request original codicils, our PM and VA coordinate the amendments immediately. Exceptional diligence."
"At $6/hour for full-time support, hiring Sagedoer reduced our secretarial overhead by nearly £34,000 this year. The VA understands IHT400 schedules, NRB transfers, and beneficiary AML thoroughly."
"We manage around 75 open estate administrations in LEAP. Our Sagedoer VA handles all bank notifications, asset discovery spreadsheets, and Section 27 notices. It freed up over 18 fee-earning hours weekly for our department."
"Estate accounts reconciliation used to bottle-neck our file closures. Our VA tracks every dividend stub, capital realization, and interim distribution in Excel and Quill with zero discrepancy. Our files close 4 weeks faster."
Questions Probate Solicitors Ask
Clear, straightforward answers addressing SRA confidentiality, legal privilege, and case management software.
Deploy Your Probate VA in 24-48 Hours
Submit your firm requirements below or connect directly to review your matter volume and estate workflows.