Services for You FAQs

FAMILY

• Who will pay the divorce costs?

  If you initiate the divorce you will be known as the Petitioner. Your Solicitor will need to prepare the divorce petition and certain other documents on your behalf. As you are initiating the divorce you will be asked to pay the Court fees as well as your Solicitors fees and VAT on those fees. If you are the Respondent in a divorce (i.e. your spouse has initiated divorce proceedings) you will be responsible for your Solicitors fees and VAT on the fees, however, you do not have to pay Court fees as these are payable by your spouse. In some cases the Petitioner can seek repayment of their costs from the Respondent.

• How long a divorce will take to complete?

  In general, a straightforward, undefended divorce, where both parties are prepared to co-operate, will generally take somewhere in the region of 4 to 6 months to conclude. However, if the parties cannot agree or if one party causes a delay when completing and returning paperwork to the court this can extend the time it takes to finalise a divorce. Additional delays may also occur if there are financial issues to be addressed.

• How much will a divorce cost?

  This will depend on what is involved in your case and for instance whether you are just seeking a divorce, or whether there are financial issues or a dispute regarding children to address. Costs will therefore vary depending on the nature and complexity of the issues involved; however a Solicitor would be able to give you a cost estimate at the outset of your case. In general, a divorce can be completed on a fixed rate. Any complex work is charged on an hourly basis, e.g. if an agreement cannot be reached quickly with your former spouse, the greater the costs are likely to be.