1. Introduction
2. What even is a divorce?
3. How much does a divorce cost?
4. How much does a child case cost?
5. How much does a finance case cost?
6. What if I just want meetings to do it myself?
7. What if I need help with everything?
8. The end bit

Introduction

We’ve answered this question thousands of times over the years, and these days, just about every litigant who contact us will ask us for quotes or estimates every year and many of them will raise the question in the first few of minutes of our conversations.

We get it.

Price matters (it’s not the only consideration, but it is pretty important). Price often dictates what type of help you’re going to get and how you’re going to approach it. You need to have a ballpark figure before you make a decision and that’s true for any major decision you’re going to have to make about your life.

It’s tough to answer this question right off the bat, because divorces have so many variables and options it’s often tough to know the price until you’ve figured out exactly what you want, what you need and factor in the variables of the behaviour of the other party and the court.

At Family Law Assistance, we strive to educate every prospective client, even if that leads you working with someone else or using a solicitor. I’ll do my level best to offer some realistic price ranges, based on real-world examples right (in 2023).

Please keep in mind that all prices, whether for divorces, child contact or finance cases, are only estimates based on the average case in 2023. Prices can and often do vary drastically based on your situation, your requirements, the other party, the court and many other factors.

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What even is a divorce?

In short, it’s just the divorce. A divorce case has little (or no) bearing on what happens about any children you may have or what happens when it comes to finances, houses, debts, that sort of thing.

Divorces can be applied for online – that’s the easiest and cheapest way of doing them since the changes to the system recently. And nowadays, they’re `no fault’ too.

But doing this won’t apply to children or finances if you’re in England or Wales. Many people incorrectly believe they’re all lumped together in one case – as they are in the USA, but what applies in Miami isn’t the same as what applies in Manchester. You do need to apply for the divorce before you start financial proceedings, but no one is going to chase you up on it if you don’t (but you will remain linked financially to your ex until you do or you remarry, at which point you won’t be able to make an application against them and vice versa). Similarly, the court will assume you have agreed arrangements for your children unless you apply to it to make an order.

So in short – divorces are simple.

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At least £593. That’s it, if you do it online yourself. The link to do that is here.

A solicitor can assist you but the costs will be higher than doing it yourself (obviously!) If you need some advice from us our fee is £125+VAT (£150) for an `Ask Me Anything‘ Zoom session.

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How much does a child case cost?

At least £400 with no upper cost (with £63,000 being considered proportionate and the most expensive case ever being £5.5 million!)

This price includes the fee for the court application.

The huge variability in this price is due to factors that include the hostility of one or both parties, case complexity, hearing location, what help you need, how much you want to do yourself, how much you want us to do, how much you are willing to work with whoever is assisting you and using expensive solicitors because you feel they’re going to maximise your chances of success.

Phew!

I can’t understate how much the attitude to the parties involved have when it comes to cost, length, stress and complexity. Parents can sit down in a coffee shop and hash out an arrangement on a piece of paper, over a flat white…or they can take their solicitor and barrister into the Royal Courts of Justice to ask a High Court Judge for one of a dozen hearings to decide whether the children should see one of their parents for tea on a Wednesday.

If we’re assisting you, may just want meetings about your case or help with the whole lot.

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How much does a finance case cost?

At least £400 with no upper cost (though legal fees over a million aren’t unknown).

The court fee is £53 if you agree with your ex, £275 if you don’t.

Again – this huge amount of variability is down to many factors including the hostility of one or both parties, case complexity, hearing location, what help you need, how much you want to do yourself, how much you want us to do, how much you are willing to work with whoever is assisting you and using expensive solicitors because you feel they’re going to maximise your chances of success.

The best way of keeping costs down by far is for both parties to be amicable and the worst is to fight tooth and nail for the last penny. If the latter happens, the court will give an indication before a day long (or 3 day long) trial takes place in an attempt to encourage an agreed settlement and to avoid additional cost, effort and heartache.

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Just meetings about your case

Some customers just want meeting to discuss their case. It’s amazing what a simple chat can do. We’ll clear up the misconceptions you have about the law, your situation or the solicitor’s letter you’ve got in front of you – when to respond and how to respond. Sometimes that advice will be something simple like `Don’t worry – this is normal’ or it could be something like `You need to get this into court like yesterday). You’ll get specific information about situation rather than generic stuff.

Our Zoom meetings are £125+VAT (£150) for around 45 minutes.

Help to run a case will involves many other costs. However, some people out there want to do everything themselves, which tends to mean form filling, document creation, going alone to negotiation with the other party, taking notes, bundle creation, writing cross examination questions, evidence gathering and assistance in hearings, dealing with correspondence on their own.

We don’t typically recommend the do-it-yourself approach, even if you’re a confident person. There are many variables to consider, and a botched case can easily cause far more trouble and long-term costs than it’ll save upfront.

If you’re doing it yourself, the costs for meeting with us are here:

1. A child case: £400–£1,500.
2. A finance: £400–£2,000.

In short, it’s a series of meetings at crucial points in your case to give you the answers you need

Aside from meetings we offer help with the following:

• Form filling
• Going through paperwork and telling you what it all means
• Document creation
• Assistance during negotiation
• Note taking during hearings
• Bundle creation
• Writing cross examination questions
• Evidence gathering
• Dealing with correspondence
• Assisting in hearings
• Telling you what your options are throughout your case
• Being a neutral and legally experienced voice in your ear throughout

Typical prices for asssistance with the above are:

1. Child contact: £1,500-£6,000
2. Finances: £1,500-£7,000

These are pretty big ranges, but there are a lot of variables here regardless of any help you may want.

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The end bit

Everything here is simply an estimate and your final price may look much different. I hope you’ve developed a better feel for the potential costs of help with your case and what to expect when you start going through the process of working out what you need to achieve a successful outcome in your case.

If you’d like our assistance we recommend you start by booking an `Ask Me Anything’ Zoom session for £125+VAT (£150). It’s a quick chat where you’ll leave with a clear way forward when you need it most.

But whatever you do…good luck!

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