Fees

Estimate of legal costs

Divorce costs vary dramatically depending on the circumstances involved in any divorce and financial settlement case.

There may be a variety of factors that are likely to impact on the cost of your case, and these include, for example, not having all the necessary paperwork available, having missing or incorrect information that needs investigation and/ or correction, third parties being obstructive or not responding to communications promptly, dealing with unusual or complex issues or unexpected or unforeseeable factors that may arise, as well as unforeseen circumstances that may change the course of your case. If any complications arise these will be discussed with you. I will regularly update you on costs throughout your case so you can always stay in control.

You will be invoiced monthly in arrears for the work I will carry out on your case during any given month. An estimate of the likely legal costs you will end up paying in relation to the whole of your case can be found below.

Uncontested divorce vs. contested divorce

Generally, an uncontested divorce, where both parties agree on the terms, is considerably cheaper and can be settled more quickly. The average cost typically ranges from £500 to £2000, primarily covering the divorce application fee and solicitor fees for basic advice and document handling.

If a divorce is contested the expenses can increase to between £3,000 to £7,000 and where the parties cannot agree at all and require court intervention to settle disputes over assets, finances, or child custody, legal fees can start from around £3,000 and go as high as £20,000 or more, depending on the complexity and length of court proceedings.

Average costs in a typical divorce and financial settlement case

The average costs in a typical divorce and financial settlement case are:

1 Average cost of an uncontested divorce £750 - £2,000
2 Average cost of a contested divorce where a financial settlement is negotiated without court proceedings £3000 - £7,500
3 Average cost of contested divorce with financial settlement where it necessary to issue court proceedings £3,000 - £20,000, potentially reaching £40,000 or more
4 Mediation £120 - £300 per hour, with 3-4 sessions typically needed

(Please note that all the amounts supplied above do not include VAT).

I will at all times endeavour to keep your legal costs as low as possible, and bring your case to a conclusion as soon as possible and on the best possible terms.

Who will pay your legal costs?

The person initiating a divorce, known as the petitioner, is typically responsible for paying the court fee for doing so, however couples may agree to split this cost, particularly where the divorce is amicable in nature or where the application for divorce is a joint application. 

In terms of the general overall legal costs that you will incur I can confirm that the costs of legal fees and expenses are generally paid by each party individually unless a court order specifies otherwise. 

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

Court fees:

  • The petitioner pays the initial court fee to start the divorce process, this fee is currently £612.00


  • If the divorce is amicable the parties may agree to split this court fee equally.

 

  • The court can order the respondent to pay the applicant's costs, but this is at the court's discretion and will depend on the circumstances of the case.

Legal fees:

  • Each party usually pays their own legal fees which includes solicitor costs.

 

  • If you incur legal costs due to the other party's conduct, e.g., they fail to attend a court hearing, a court may order them to contribute towards your legal costs that were needlessly incurred in relation to the hearing.


  • If your case involves significant assets or complex financial arrangements you may agree with the other party on how to share legal costs, potentially through mediation. 

Other costs:

  • If you incur any additional expenses and costs for services such as having a property or business valued, or a pension report is prepared by an actuary, these costs are usually shared between the between both parties on a 50/50 basis. If any party seeks further information from the expert after they have prepared their report then the party requesting such information will pay the full cost of the expert’s charges for doing so.


  • You might also incur costs for mediation, collaborative law, or other dispute resolution methods. 

Help with costs:

  • Those on low incomes or receiving certain benefits may be eligible for help with court fees through the "Help with Fees" scheme.

 

  • Legal aid may also be available for those who qualify, particularly for mediation or in cases involving domestic abuse or child abduction (I regret I do not undertake legal aid work).

How to fund the legal advice you need

It is important that you give full consideration to how you plan to fund your case. Some of the options available are mentioned below:

  • From income or savings – this is how most people pay for their divorce.


  • Using a credit card, overdraft facility or other loan – although of course you need to consider carefully how you will repay this.


  • Loans or gifts from family or friends – this is more common than you might imagine. Family members are often willing to help.


  • A litigation loan – if you are likely to receive a financial settlement on divorce but do not have funds available to pay the costs of divorce from current income you may be able to apply for a special type of loan to cover your legal costs.

 

  • Applying to the courts for your spouse to cover the costs – this is only applicable in a handful of cases and as such I will discuss this with you if it is relevant to your case. 

How I work:

When I first start working on your case I will ask you to pay either a fixed price or I will ask you to pay money on account, this simply means an amount towards future costs that will be incurred and thereafter I will charge for the work I do on your case on a monthly basis as detailed in the terms and conditions section of this document. 

Other experts who may be instructed in your case

Other experts may be required in your case such for example, estate agents to value a property, a pensions expert or a barrister. This is just an example of the type of experts that may be required, other experts may be required depending on the nature of your case. The instruction of any expert in your case will incur charges for the work and these fees are separate from the legal fees you would pay me. It is generally the case that the cost of any expert required will be shared on a 50/50 basis between the parties. 


An example of the likely 50% cost you will pay for expert’s fees are:


  • Estate agent valuation fee: £0.00 - £300
  • Pension expert: £1,200 - £2,000 


The above amounts do not include VAT.


Please note that although the experts may be instructed through me or their appointment is agreed with the party on the other side, I cannot be held liable for any acts, omission, negligence or any of the disappointment in their performance of their work as they are experts who act independently of me. 

When are legal fees payable?

You will be charged monthly in arrears for the work I have done on your case during any given month. 

 On or near the end of each month I will send you an itemized invoice detailing a short description of each item of work that was done, how long it took to do that item of work and the charge for that item of work. This is done so that you will always know exactly what you are being charged for at all times.

My fees attract VAT and all my fees including disbursements are payable upon receipt of my invoice. 

Interest will be charged on overdue accounts at 12% per annum.


Please note that once paid, fees will be chargeable immediately in full and the fees are non-refundable in any circumstances. If the situation arises where you are unable to continue to fund your case, our agreement would cease and this practice will remain entitled to all monies paid on account to date.

If it becomes necessary to undertake additional work on your case or work that is not covered by this agreement, I reserve the right to review what additional funding, if any, will be required from you.

In the event of a payment not being made, I must reserve the right to decline to act further and the full amount of any costs incurred will be charged to you.


If at any time your case requires the need for the advice and/or opinion of counsel (barrister) representation or the advice of any other expert (e.g. a property surveyor), you will be advised of their fees separately. I will not instruct a Barrister or any other expert without your prior consent, and until payment for their fees has been made in advance. My professional fees do not include the costs in relation to any other expert and I am not liable for payment of any court or barrister or any other expert fees that may arise in relation to your case.

For your free initial consultation
call Amanda Vermeulen now on

0203 773 9910 or 0121 285 8150