Spiraling Costs of Divorce

Lise Belle, writing in Daily Mail's 'YOU Magazine' 13 January 2013 describes just how out-of-control the issue of Divorce costs can be.

Charges of £750 per hour plus VAT -  for her, £40,000 a month in legal bills for 'liaising, chasing up and drafting';  and for a wife Angela, 61, from Derbyshire a £47,000 bill. Kirsty, 47, from East Sussex said "When we started, my solicitor estimated that the legal fees would be around £45,000, but it soon crept up to double that. I think the final figure will be £110,000 and I have had to secure a litigation loan to pay it". Emma, 57, from Sheffield reported "I had no idea how much divorce would cost. It's not as if solicitors have a price list on the wall. I'm not a stupid person, I'm well educated, but I don't work in a profession where every six minutes, you've clocked up another £25. My bill came to £30,000, and the only reason I could pay it was because my mother died and left me some money. I used my inheritance to pay my solicitor".

Only Alison, 45, from Kent came out well. "My solicitor was excellent; he advised me from the start to try to settle as much as we could between ourselves without involving lawyers. That advice not only saved us thousands, but it kept us talking, forced us to be civil, and I think that's why we still have an OK relationship four years later".

Alison's solicitor was spot on. The best way to deal with issues arising from divorce, whether to do with children or money, is to keep talking. Not perhaps as you did; now more in a practical problem-solving way.

Divorce Without Pain facilitators are trained to keep the dialogue going and to maximise the progress that you can make yourselves. Without a clock ticking and legal bills escalating, you can keep a semblance of control over both what you achieve and how much it costs to do so. Fixed fee structures let you know in advance just how much you have to budget, keep the flood-gates closed, and allow you to shop around if necessary.

Feel free to contact us should you simply want a steer on how to resolve your divorce issues. All preliminary contact is free and confidential.

Thanks to Daily Mail  'YOU Magazine and Lise Belle for the copy.