Divorce Solicitors.

Divorce will be a familiar concept to most people, but going through one yourself can be daunting and emotional.

What many people don’t know is that divorce is split into 3 areas: the divorce itself to end the marriage, a financial settlement dealing with property and finances, and the child arrangements.

Each of these areas is dealt with separately, while the finances and children can be dealt with informally by a couple, with varying results.

The most common reasons people look for a divorce lawyer are when they know their partner is going to be difficult during the divorce, or they have significant assets.

Divorce is mostly filling out paperwork and waiting for the family court to make their decision on whether or not to approve your case. To get a divorce involves 5 steps:

1. Issuing the divorce application

2. Getting a response to the application

3. Applying for the conditional order (approval that the divorce can go ahead)

4. Receiving the conditional order

5. Receiving the final order (the official document to say the divorce has been finalised)

The divorce financial settlement and child arrangements are separate proceedings that run parallel to the divorce proceedings.

The fastest time a divorce can be completed is 4 months, but it’s rarely this quick. On average, a divorce that involves children and finances will last between 6 and 12 months.

It’s extremely common for divorcing couples to argue over the finer details such as who will issue the divorce application or which grounds for divorce to use. The longer these arguments go on, the longer the divorce will take.

If you need a divorce financial settlement or child arrangements, the overall process can take even longer. Our divorce solicitors will always give you an idea of how long your divorce may take during your initial consultation.

With fixed fees on uncontested divorces and estimates for end-to-end cases involving financial settlements and child arrangements, our divorce fees are simple.

For uncontested divorces, our fixed fee is £950 plus VAT and the £612 divorce application fee. This includes completing and submitting the divorce application, liaising with your ex-partner’s solicitors, applying for the conditional order and applying for the final order.

If your divorce includes a financial settlement and/or child arrangements, our fixed fees will apply for the divorce itself, but we will provide you with an estimate of fees from start to finish for the financials and children separately.

Generally, the cost of your divorce will depend upon how complex you and your ex-partner’s affairs are, and how long it takes you to come to an agreement. As a guide, costs range from:

• Simple divorce: £1,752 inclusive of VAT and court application fees
• Divorce with simple finances and child arrangements: from £6,500 plus VAT
• Complicated divorces involving numerous assets and uncooperative partners: upwards of £8,000 plus VAT

All prices above exclude disbursements and court application fees unless otherwise stated.

There is a lot of paperwork involved in a divorce, and even more when children and finances are involved. If you have only been married to your partner for a short time, don’t own anything with them, and you’re both in full agreement over your divorce, the truth is that it would be more cost-effective to complete your divorce alone.

However, for most people, there are facets such as the family home, pensions and children that must be accounted for, all of which complicate matters. Much of a divorce lawyer’s time is spent preparing paperwork and orders, and liaising with the other side over their contents.

Where costs of a divorce really begin to rise are when there is a complete disagreement over everything, and the family court’s intervention is required.

Divorce is a highly complex area of law, and without an experienced professional guiding you through the various stages, there’s a high chance that costly mistakes will be made.

Instructing a specialist divorce solicitor will ensure that you get the best possible outcome for your divorce case, while using the most cost-effective and timely methods.

No, these aren’t necessary, but we do advise all clients who might need these orders to get them.

We have seen cases where couples decide to get divorced amicably with no formal financial agreements where, years down the line, the family home is sold and a partner who previously agreed to give up their share of the proceeds now wants them.

We are currently unable to offer legal aid in any capacity as we lack the necessary legal aid certificate. We also don’t offer pro bono divorce work at present.