Financial Issues
In order to finalise your divorce it is often also necessary to finalise any arrangement for how to separate your finances and allow or prevent any future claims between the parties for maintenance for example. Fixed fees are available to deal with the financial issues. Often the work involved is 'packaged' to deal with particular aspects of the process, such as preparing a consent order once an agreement has been reached between you or completing the necessary financial information form (Form E) that will also be required. If you are able to reach agreement between yourselves this will be cheaper as the Court would only have to approve any draft consent order agreed between the parties. If agreement cannot be reached then a Court application will be needed and potentially several hearings required to finalise the matter. Parties are always encouraged to try and negotiate even up to the Court door to try and reach an agreement.
Where agreement has been reached between the parties on how their finances and property are to be divided, and there are to be no longer term arrangements, a clean break is achieved.
If settlement has not been reached by negotiation even though an application has been made to Court, then a Financial Dispute Resolution hearing will be listed to take place. This hearing is to encourage discussion and negotiation between the parties with the guidance of the Court in the hope settlement can be achieved without the need for a final hearing where the Court would decide the outcome. This fixed fee covers representation of you at the hearing, which will include negotiations at Court and the preparation of any Consent Order to be approved if agreement is reached and the lawyer is ordered to by the Court.