Divorce Solicitors

You may not need the support and advice of a divorce lawyer if your situation is straightforward. The most complicated part of the divorce process is dealing with the financial matters surrounding it and also issues involving the children (i.e. where they should live and/or how often they should spend time with the other parent. We have a guide on child arrangements and what options are available to you.

So whilst you may not need a solicitor to deal with the process of obtaining a divorce, it is always advisable to seek advice to deal with the legal aspects surrounding financial matters and matters concerning any children of the family.

It is worth noting however that if the divorce application is not completed correctly, you may not be able to make a financial claim against your ex-partner further down the line and so if you are unsure how to complete the divorce application, it is always better to seek advice from a specialist divorce lawyer.

The costs for a divorce will vary depending on whether you are the applicant or the respondent within the divorce proceedings. The costs you pay will also depend on whether you reach an agreement with your ex-partner regarding splitting the costs of the divorce.

If you are the person who starts the divorce proceedings (i.e. the applicant) and you tick the box on your divorce application to state you would like your ex-partner to pay your divorce costs, you may not have to pay any costs at all.

As a general guide, an applicant’s divorce costs tend to be in the region of £1000 to £1500 plus VAT which included the £550 court fee to issue the divorce application. You can’t get a free divorce in the UK.

Following the introduction of the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act legislation in April 2022, commonly known as no-fault divorce, there is now no requirement to give a reason for divorce or blame your partner – it is now largely on the basis of irretrievable breakdown of the marriage. One party or a couple can jointly start, proceedings.

On Wednesday 6 April 2022, no-fault divorce became legislation. No-fault divorce is the common name for the Divorce, Dissolutions and Separation Act which came in in April 2022 and supersedes any previous divorce law. The legislation means that no reason now has to be given or any blame apportioned when a couple divorces. Proceedings can be started by one party or jointly by the couple.

More information can be found in our guide on how to get a divorce.

There are many companies online promising to get you divorced for as little as £37.00 and promising you a fast-tracked “quickie divorce”. As stated above, the court fee alone to lodge a divorce application in England and Wales is £550.00 and therefore you will most likely find that payment of £37 will not get you divorced.

Another thing to be mindful of when looking at companies on the internet promising a fast-track divorce is that quite often, your court paperwork will be drafted by somebody who is not even legally trained. A potential consequence of issuing a badly drafted divorce application could mean you are unable to make any financial application against your ex-partner. As such, it is really crucial that you ensure your divorce application is prepared by a suitably qualified divorce specialist – this could save yourself a lot of stress further down the line.