Need legal advice now from a divorce solicitor?
Call, email or provide us with a few details of your matter, and we’ll help you arrange an initial consultation. You’ll get:
- Unlimited time to discuss your divorce with an experienced divorce solicitor
- An outline of your legal position in your divorce
- A clear fee-quote and time frame to resolve your case
Call us today to arrange your appointment.
The Divorce Experts
- Starting and responding to divorce proceedings
- Simple and complex financial settlements
- Child arrangements and child maintenance
- Post-divorce wealth and estate planning
Commonly asked questions on divorce.
Divorce is a highly complicated and emotional area of law, which can result in multiple questions regarding the divorce proceedings and both the financial and child arrangements. Therefore, our divorce solicitors have answered some of the most commonly asked surrounding the topic.
1. What does it mean exactly to get divorced?
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.
2. How do I get a divorce?
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.
3. How long does a divorce take?
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.
4. How much does a divorce cost?
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 £320 plus VAT and the £593 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: £977 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.
5. Why can the cost of divorce change so dramatically?
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.
6. Why use a solicitor for divorce?
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.
7. Do I have to have a financial settlement and child arrangement order for divorce?
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.
8. Do you offer legal aid for divorce matters?
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.
Need legal advice now from a divorce solicitor in London or Brighton?
Tell us about your case and we’ll get back to you the same day.
Meet our expert family law team.
Paul Britton
Managing Director
Theresa Wright
Solicitor
Rory Lindsay
Solicitor
Alexander Grist
Trainee Solicitor
Leonardo Bosco
Trainee Solicitor
Aryan Fallahi
Trainee Solicitor
Grace Marchant
Trainee Solicitor
Hanna Batkin
Paralegal
Angjela Shehu
Paralegal
Why Britton and Time Solicitors?
Divorce is our speciality. Our divorce solicitors work on a wide variety of divorce cases, which has given us an abundance of knowledge and experience in this area of law. When it comes to your specific divorce case, we’ll always guarantee:
Award-Winning Service.
You are our priority, and the law is our speciality. Our award-winning divorce solicitors in London and Brighton ensure you know exactly where you stand from a legal perspective so you can make a well-informed decision.
Full Billing Transparency.
No fee surprises. Ever. Our divorce solicitors will inform you from the outset on how much your case will cost, and we will do everything in our power to keep costs down and within your original fee estimate.
Regular Communication.
With fortnightly updates on your case, you’ll never be left in the dark. Our divorce solicitors in London and Brighton ensure you know exactly how your case is progressing and are with you every step of the way.
Our reviews.
It’s not about how good we think our services are; it’s about what you think.
There are three things that make Britton & Time, and in particular Paul, stand apart from other law firms: knowledge, communication and a will to win.
Rated excellent by over 95% of our clients.
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Other forms of family law.
Adoption
Child Custody
Child Law
Child Maintenance
Cohabitation
Divorce Financial Settlement
Prenuptial Agreements
Separation
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Need legal advice now from a divorce solicitor?
Call, email or provide us with a few details of your matter, and we’ll be able to help you the same day.