Public Access – Financial Disputes in Divorce
Our barristers can advise you if you and your former partner cannot agree on financial matters during, or after, a divorce. For example, you may not be able to agree on how assets should be divided, whether to sell your home or other assets, maintenance payments, or pension sharing.
If you cannot agree, you can apply to a court for a financial order. You may need to attend a number of court hearings – our barristers can represent you in these hearings.
Timescales
Timescales for your case may vary depending on factors such as barristers’ availability, the value and complexity of your assets, whether you have children, how much you have already agreed with your former partner, and their approach. Written advice on your financial dispute will be available within two to four weeks where possible. As a guide, court hearings for a financial order tend to take six to twelve months. This does not include possible appeals.
Fees
We may charge fixed fees, which means that we will charge you a set amount of money for the work undertaken by the barrister you wish to instruct.
Below we provide estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees for barristers in 5 St Andrew’s Hill, where the parties have joint assets which are worth less than £300,000. All fees below are exclusive of VAT (VAT is 20%). If your joint assets are greater than £300,000 please contact us to agree a bespoke arrangement for your matter.
In the instance that we are unable to provide a fixed fee we will provide you with a quote based on the barrister’s hourly rate. The hourly rate our barristers charge ranges between £100 + VAT and £350 + VAT, depending on the level of experience and expertise of the barrister.
We are happy to discuss the level of experience your matter might require, the fees will be towards the higher end of the range if you need or would prefer a more experienced barrister. If you have a particularly complex case, your fees may also be higher than the estimates below.
We will discuss and reach agreement on the level of fees before the barrister undertakes any chargeable work, we will require payment of cleared funds before commencing work. Payment can be accepted as a BACS transfer or from a debit or credit card.
Your matter may require work which is not included in those listed below, we will discuss this with you and reach agreement in advance of undertaking any work.
|
Stage of case |
Ranges of fixed fees (estimates depending on level of experience and complexity of matter) |
|---|---|
|
Written advice on your financial dispute |
From £300-£3500+VAT |
|
Preparation of case, including meetings with you and assistance with drafting of any court documents |
From £300-£3500+VAT |
|
First appointment (first court hearing exchanging financial information) |
£650-£2500+VAT |
|
Financial dispute resolution appointment (second court hearing to reach a financial settlement) |
£1000-£5000+VAT |
|
First day of final hearing (if no settlement was reached in the financial dispute resolution appointment) |
£1500-£5000+VAT |
|
Court appearances per day, after the first day of the final hearing, known as a refresher fee |
£750-£3000+VAT |
Contact Us
All information is correct as of 4th April 2020, but fees are estimates only. For a quotation, please contact the dedicated family law clerks (Dean Farlam or Adam Murray) on 020 7332 5400 or clerks@5sah.co.uk