Divorce

If your marriage has broken down irretrievably then we can advise you about divorce or partnership dissolution and guide you through the process. Here at Talbot Walker we know all too well that a dissolution can be emotionally challenging for you but our expert team will support and guide you through the legalities with ease and sensitivity.

Looking for guidance?

Whether you are instigating the divorce or are subject to divorce proceedings we can help. We always offer direct access to an experienced divorce and family lawyer who will explain the process to you and take care of all your divorce paperwork.

To keep things easy for you we provide a fixed fee up front to give you certainty. There is always the option that you can pay on an hourly basis that is to say you pay for the time spent by your lawyer on your case. Read on to see how we can help you or contact our team for an informal chat or to arrange your initial meeting.

To obtain a divorce you must prove to the court that your marriage has broken down for one of the following reasons:

Unreasonable behaviour
Separation for two years with the consent of your husband/wife/civil partner
Desertion for two years
Separation for five years
In the case of heterosexual couples, adultery

If you are considering divorce our lawyer will:

Obtain all relevant information needed from you in order to prepare the Divorce Petition
Prepare a Notice to inform the court that we represent you
Prepare the Application for Decree Nisi
Prepare the Application for Decree Absolute

We always ensure we keep you fully informed throughout the process of handling your divorce and are happy to address any concerns or issues arising from the paperwork that you may have. For this service we charge a fixed fee of £700 plus VAT of £140 and a fixed court fee of £550 totalling £1,390.

Additional information

What work is not included:

Work carried out if you decide to amend the Divorce Petition
The costs involved if there are problems in serving the divorce papers on your spouse
The cost of obtaining a certified copy of your marriage certificate or having your marriage certificate translated
Any work required if your spouse defends the divorce
The fees for enforcing any Costs Order obtained against your spouse
Any advice or work relating to property, finance and children issues

Additional fees

In most cases the process is without difficulty, however in a minority of cases there can be additional issues which need to be resolved. For example, if you are bringing divorce proceedings, then we may encounter difficulty in getting your husband or wife to respond to the paperwork and it may be necessary to arrange for documentation to be served personally. In the absence of an agreement on costs, your husband or wife can ask the court for a contribution towards their costs in bringing the divorce proceedings. If there is a dispute then any costs incurred in dealing with the dispute will fall outside the fixed fee price. If a divorce becomes contested the fixed fee price will not apply. We will discuss all costs with you before any work is undertaken.

If you have had divorce papers served on you:

We can offer you direct access to an experienced divorce and family lawyer who will explain the process to you, collect all the relevant details from you and complete the paperwork including corresponding on your behalf with your husband or wife and/or their solicitors. Our fixed fee is £500 plus VAT of £100, total £600.

We will collect all relevant information from you and explain to you the implications of the Divorce Petition. We will prepare the Acknowledgment of Service confirming that you do not object to the divorce and that you have received the Petition.
If the court is satisfied that your husband or wife has grounds for divorce then it will set a date when Decree Nisi will be pronounced. We will tell you when the date for the pronouncement of Decree Nisi will take place and we will advise you in respect of the costs of the Divorce Petition which your husband or wife may seek to recover from you. If you are asked to pay costs and there is a dispute, the fixed price will not include work required in this respect. Ordinarily, we will charge an hourly rate in respect of any work undertaken in connection with costs and we will be more than happy to discuss this further with you. Throughout the process we will keep you informed of developments and the fixed fee takes into account one hour of discussion with you to cover any issues or concerns you may have relating to the process.