£395 Fixed Fee Divorce Scheme
Our Fixed fee divorce scheme is designed to provide an efficient and inexpensive route for you to obtain a divorce. In the vast majority of cases the other party accepts that the marriage is over and the divorce proceeds entirely by post and without either party needing to attend Court.
* plus vat and court fees of £340
The Scheme includes:-
- Advising you whether you have grounds for divorce;
- Providing initial advice on what you should do about the home and money;
- Writing to your partner politely explaining what you are proposing to do and explaining the procedure to him or her;
- Drafting and issuing the divorce papers for service by the Court by post;
- On your partner returning his Acknowledgement of Service to the Court, confirming that the proceedings are not contested, continuing the matter and obtaining your divorce
To use our fixed fee divorce service, simply telephone us to make a free initial appointment when we will assess whether you have grounds for divorce and that your case is suitable.
Please bear in mind however that even where you partner agrees to the divorce you still need to show one of the 5 “ground” for divorce. These are either that:-
- your partner has committed adultery, or
- your partner has behaved unreasonably towards you (see below), or
- you and your partner have voluntarily lived apart for two years and you both want a divorce, or
- your partner left you and you have lived apart for two years (in which case your partner’s consent is not required), or
- you and your partner have lived apart for five years for whatever reason.
The most common grounds are either adultery or unreasonable behaviour both of which often require sensitive handling.
Adultery: One particular problem in the case of adultery is often a partner’s fear that the person who they committed adultery with will be identified in the divorce papers. This is not normally done and it often helps to make this clear at the outset.
Unreasonable behaviour: Many people think that unreasonable behaviour has to be bad or violent behaviour. This is not the case. It can be anything which, in the eyes of the law, is unreasonable. It can simply be things like your partner devoting most of his/her time and attention to his/her job or failing to join in properly in family life. As our aim is to make the divorce process as straight forward and amicable as possible, we take particular care in drafting any allegations of unreasonable behaviour so as minimise the effect on your partner whilst being sufficient to obtain a divorce. Helpfully the court rules do not require your partner to agree with the allegations. It is sufficient for him or her to simply consent to the divorce.
The Financial Settlement and the children: Please bear in mind that divorce proceedings only end the marriage. They do not automatically sort out any issues relating to money, the home or children. These issues are all dealt with separately and do not form part of our fixed fee scheme although the scheme does include giving you initial advice in relation to these matters and setting out how best to deal with them.
Please note the Scheme does not cover the very rare case where divorce proceedings are contested, any complex or unusual issue arises or the proceedings involve any foreign element. Divorce proceedings are normally served by post. In the rare event that they need to be served personally and additional fee may be payable.
