Funding your case
Legal fees are often high and come at a time of uncertainty, there is no hiding from this. We realise this and want to ensure that instructing FLC is something which involves openness on the likely costs and how these can be met.
Our legal fees range from £180 to £480 per hour plus VAT. We require the sum of £2,000 to be held on your client account before we can accept an instruction and £5,000 if there are court proceedings. We are a small company and cannot offer client credit.
How will my legal fees be met?
Legal Services Order: if your spouse has substantial funds which can be used to meet your legal fees, the court can make an order that this takes place to ensure both of you are on an equal footing. This is done by a court application if an agreement cannot be reached.
Family/friends: if needed, we can accept payments from third parties to meet some or part of your legal fees. Care must be taken to ensure any personal loan is properly documented and therefore taken into account by a court or as part of your financial settlement with your spouse.
Litigation Funding: we continue to work closely with litigation funding companies. Litigation funding is provided by specialist lenders strictly for the purposes of funding the costs of going to court and related negotiations.
Bank loans/refinancing: this is always an option if your circumstances allow, and if the agreement of any third parties is possible.
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Divorce
The court fee to start divorce proceedings is £593 while our fees are likely to be between £500 and £750 plus VAT for any advice you may need in the background.
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Sorting out the finances on divorce
In all cases an initial meeting is required, whether in person or over a video link. We offer a free 30 minute consultation, but thereafter our time will be charged at our respective hourly rates. We may need to meet you again as the case progresses, and we will charge for any further meetings. Otherwise we will communicate with you via the telephone and over email as your matter progresses. Time spent working on your matter in any capacity will be charged at our hourly rates to the 6 minute unit.
Supporting you through mediation is likely to consist of reviewing and assisting you in preparing documents, then considering any information which is required to enable a settlement to take place. We can also consider settlement options and assist in preparing you to make an offer for settlement. The costs depend on the extent of the support given, but on average they tend to be between £3,000 and £8,000 plus VAT.
Minimum time frame: 3-6 months
Negotiations between solicitors: assuming both parties act promptly and there is little chasing or updating required, this will involve preparation of documents, exchange of information and obtaining any missing evidence. Settlement options will be discussed, agreed with you and put to your ex. Responses will be received and further negotiations carried out until a solution is agreed. Unlike mediation, this will be dealt with solely by solicitors; there may be roundtable meetings between the parties and their advisors if appropriate.
The agreement will be drafted into a consent order, sent to the court in the form of a consent order and ratified once a Judge has approved it.
Likely costs (including the consent order): these vary significantly, but on average you can expect to pay between £6,000 and £25,000 plus VAT. Fees increase significantly if there are any disclosure issues of either party’s assets or income to be dealt with, or there are long periods of delay.
Minimum Timeframe: 3-6 months
Going to court: this is the most expensive, stressful and time consuming option. In some cases it cannot be avoided – if your ex will not negotiate or provide information, or simply wishes to delay settlement.
Going to court will involve 3 hearings, instructing barristers and the mandatory preparation of formal court documents.
We will advise you of the likely costs once we know more about your situation: the costs can vary significantly making a generalised estimate difficult.
Most cases are resolved before a final hearing, but again this will depend on the parties, the evidence and the issues in dispute.
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Dealing with issues relating to children
In all cases an initial meeting is required, whether in person or over a video link. We offer a free 30 minute consultation, but thereafter our time will be charged at our respective hourly rates. We may need to meet you again as the case progresses, and we will charge for any further meetings. Otherwise we will communicate with you via the telephone and over email as your matter progresses. Time spent working on your matter in any capacity will be charged at our hourly rates to the 6 minute unit.
Supporting you through mediation or the instruction of a co-parenting coach will likely consist of reviewing and assisting you in preparing any documents, then considering any information which is required to enable a settlement to take place. We can also consider settlement options with you and appropriate child arrangements, and assist in preparing a proposal to help you and your family move forward. The costs depend on the extent of the support given, but will likely be between £2,000 and £5,000 plus VAT.
Minimum time frame: 2 – 3 months.
Negotiations between solicitors: assuming both parties act promptly and there is little chasing or too much tactical play or delaying tactics, this will involve the preparation and exchange of any documents where relevant, and discussing different child arrangements and each parent’s proposals to resolve matters. Responses will be received and further negotiations carried out until a solution is agreed. Unlike mediation, this will be dealt with solely by solicitors; there may be roundtable meetings between the parties and their advisors if appropriate.
If there are existing Children Act proceedings, the agreement will be drafted into a consent order and sent to the court for approval by a judge.
If there are not any existing Children Act proceedings, the written correspondence setting out the child arrangements that have been agreed will be sufficient, or the parents can enter into a parenting agreement or plan if they prefer.
Likely costs (including the consent order if relevant): these vary significantly, but on average you can expect to pay between £4,000 and £15,000 plus VAT. Fees increase significantly if the parties enter into protracted and litigious correspondence, or there are long periods of delay.
Minimum Timeframe: 2 – 3 months
Going to court: this is the most expensive, stressful and time consuming option. In some cases it cannot be avoided – if your ex will not negotiate or provide information, or simply wishes to delay settlement, or where two parents have very different ideas about what is best for their child(ren).
Going to court will involve several hearings (more usually two in Children Act proceedings), instructing barristers and the mandatory preparation of formal court documents.
We will advise you of the likely costs once we know more about your situation; the costs can vary significantly making a generalised estimate difficult.
Most cases are resolved before a final hearing, but again this will depend on the parties, the evidence and the issues in dispute.
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Cohabitation
Costs will depend on your situation, the issues between you and your ex-partner and how quickly it is possible to reach an agreement.
A negotiated settlement will require the exchange of evidence and involve correspondence with the other party. The costs depend on a range of factors, but you can expect to spend a minimum of £5,000 to £7,500 plus VAT.
If an agreement cannot be reached and your case has to go to court, we will advise you of the likely costs once we know more about your situation and the possible claims involved. Costs can vary significantly making a generalised estimate difficult.
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Pre/postnuptial agreements
Costs will depend on your situation, the issues between you and what you and your partner want the agreement to cover. You and your partner will need to give full disclosure of your financial circumstances to the other and agree the terms of the agreement, how detailed you wish it to be, what you want it to cover and potentially what future settlement you would like implemented if you and your partner were to later separate. This can be complicated and difficult to speculate and can vary significantly from couple to couple. However, in general, instructions of this nature tend to incur fees anywhere in the region of £4,000 to £8,000 plus VAT.