One of the first questions we are usually asked is “how much will this cost me”?

We are open and transparent about our fees so you know from the start what your case is likely to cost you so you can plan/budget accordingly.

We offer a fixed fee first appointment for £240 inclusive of VAT, to make best use out of that we will ask you to provide some background information before the appointment so that we can start advising you on your particular circumstances immediately

The time spent dealing with a straight forward, uncontested divorce, where both parties are cooperating is fairly predictable.   As such we offer a fixed fee arrangement of £550.00 plus VAT, plus the Court fee (currently £593.00) but which can, in certain circumstances, based on your income and capital, be waived or a partial fee paid.

If we agree a fixed fee we will set out what this does and does not cover.

Please note that very few cases involve only the divorce paperwork, many involve both children and financial issues.

Although the divorce itself will only cost around £1,253.00 over a period of 6 – 9 months, the financial issues which flow from it can range from a few hundred to thousand of pounds to resolve.

Similarly the fees involved in resolving issues relating to children can vary, depending on whether they can be resolved through negotiation, mediation or there needs to be an application to the Court.

We also charge a fixed fee for a referral to mediation to deal with children or financial issues (or both) of £75.00 plus VAT.

For Court proceedings we offer two levels of service namely

a) Advice and Representation – we take instructions and give advice based on those. We then represent you by communicating with your ex partner/spouse and subsequently their solicitors.   We negotiate on your behalf and if required represent you at Court.

The costs charged are based on how much time is spent.

We give an estimate at the outset of the case, based on the solicitors level of expertise and experience.

Currently the hourly rates for our Family Team range from £125-250 per hour plus vat depending on the seniority/experience of the person dealing with the matter.

Please note these hourly rates remain below the Government published guideline rates which for the location of our offices range from £255 per hour for solicitors with over 8 years of experience (being Rhona Royle) and £126 per hour for paralegals/trainee solicitors (Zahra Ali)

b) Advice only – some people like to handle their own divorce and come to us for advice on other issues, such as financial settlements or arrangements for the children.

We can help draft applications to Court (for child arrangements orders or financial orders), draft statements such as “Form E” for financial matters and witness statements for children matters.

We can offer advice on possible settlements (provided full and frank financial disclosure has been given) to give you the confidence to represent yourself at Court.

This option lets you save the costs of having a solicitor/barrister represent you at Court.

We ask for money on account to start work and send periodic bills.

If issues change during the case and the estimate we give at the outset appears to need revising, we tell you in advance.

A full and detailed breakdown of the amount of time we have spent working on your case is attached to every bill we send so that you understand what you have been charged for.

Please remember that asking how much something will cost is free!

If you would like further information or to talk to one of our team of family lawyers at Wrigley Claydon please call us on 0161 624 6811.

Please refer to their individual profiles to see their respective areas of expertise: Rhona Royle supported by her secretary, Jill Foster