A divorce lawyer is responsible for sorting the division of assets and debt among each spouse. A divorce lawyer may also be expected if there are children involved to help set the terms for child support and child custody. They may also be expected to go to court for legal separations.

A divorce lawyer can be expensive, starting from about £1000

for their fees, plus the court fees which are approximately £550. There may be extra fees involved if there are financial orders or child custody issues.

A divorce lawyer will be able to advise you of the procedures you must follow to get a divorce, you can only get a divorce if you have been married at least a year. The divorce will end your marriage. You may be able to get divorced without needing a divorce lawyer if you and your ex-partner can agree on the divorce and the reason why.

If you cannot agree on a divorce or why you want to get divorced, then you may need to get a divorce lawyer involved, this will cost you more money and more time.

A divorce will usually take 4-6 months if everything is amicable and you are both in agreement, however, if you cannot agree and there are issues with property, children or money, it will take a lot longer.

If you cannot afford a divorce lawyer, you could look to legal aid to help you or represent yourself in court. Mostly spouses are responsible for paying their legal fees and the costs of divorce. However, if one spouse earns considerably more they may be asked to pay for it all.

In most divorce cases the home is a couple’s biggest asset. It will usually be split 50/50 unless one spouse specifically owns it over the other.

A divorce lawyer will try and help you get the best deal for you, however, there are things they may advise you not to do such as:

Don’t neglect your finances

Don’t forget to consult with an attorney

Do not use your children as pawns

Don’t do anything you may regret later

Be honest with your divorce lawyer so he/she can prepare for and deal with any potential problems that may arise, make sure that any details that may help your case are shared with them so no stone is left unturned.

If children are involved in your divorce, usually the court will side with the mother and any children under 5 will stay with the biological mother, of course, this is not set in stone and under different circumstances, they may be awarded to stay with their father.

In any divorce, if at all possible you should always try and be fair, understandably this cannot always happen, your divorce lawyer will be on hand to help with advice and issues that may arise.

Broken Heart