2008/9/18 Chris Wood hot20024@hotmail.com:
If it costs more than £140 then you can tell the solicitor its not worth it unless they are going to give you advice before signing the document.
One solicitor (http://www.wrigleys.co.uk/documents/publications/publication_145.pdf) estimates total setup costs (including registering with the charities commission) at £2,500-£3,500 +VAT. That sounds outrageous to me, and I hope most firms charge much more reasonable amounts. I've emailed another firm asking about their fees, which should give us a better idea of what typical costs are.