Direct Access
Direct Access – Financial Remedies on 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, 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. Below we provide estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees for our barristers in Chambers, where the parties have joint assets which are worth less than £300,000. All fees include VAT (where applicable).
If we charge fixed fees, these may be towards the higher end of the range if you need a more experienced barrister. If you have a particularly complex case, your fees may also be higher than the estimates below.
Stage of case Ranges of fees (estimates)
| Written advice | £175 – £250 + VAT per hour |
| Conference | £500 – £1200 + VAT |
| Assisting with the drafting of documents | £500 – £650 + VAT per hour |
| Representation at FDA | £650 – £1000 + VAT |
| Representation at FDR | £1750 – £2500 + VAT |
| First day of final hearing based on a full day | £1750 – £3500 + VAT |
| Court appearances per day, after the first day of the final hearing | £1250 – £2000 + VAT |
All fees are subject to the nature and complexity of the matter and therefore can be higher. Please speak to our very experienced clerks who will advise in relation to specific fees in your case.