Nowadays, the issue for most couples, is what process should they use to help them agree everything and stay out of court.

Getting divorced involves 3 main steps;

·      Dealing with the paperwork (now digital) to obtain a divorce;

·      Working out a future co-parenting plan if you have a child or children; and

·      Reaching a fair financial agreement that can be sent to the court so that it can become a formal court order

The online divorce application requires the payment of a court fee which at present is £593. That is all that needs to be paid. People can pay for lawyers to help them with the online process if they want to, which will add to the costs, but no one has to have a lawyer and the online process is relatively straightforward.

Lawyers can help with creating a parenting plan and they will charge their hourly rate. If no agreement is reached and an application to the court is lodged, court fees are likely to be over £8,000 - £10,000 + Vat per person and some cases can cost over £20,000.

Lawyers can also help with trying to reach a financial agreement but if no agreement is reached and a court application is required average court costs can be £12,000 - £15,000 + Vat per person for a typical case but some more complex cases can cost a lot more.

One of the most cost-effective ways of dealing with these issues is by using family mediation which is a process that helps couples reach an agreement on everything so that they never have to go near a courtroom.

If a couple comes to mediation for help creating their parenting plan and sorting out the financial issues everything can often be agreed for between £5,000 - £7,000 and this will be shared by the couple so each person is paying between £2,500 - £3,500 + Vat. In appropriate cases a couple can also apply for a £500 government voucher to help towards the costs.

A lawyer would then be required to create any formal court order so the agreement is legally binding but many lawyers will deal with this for a set fee of approximately £1,000 + Vat.

Family Mediation and Mentoring, is owned by Claire and Rachael who, for many years, were specialist family lawyers, who decided they didn’t want to litigate anymore but instead, help couples reach agreements and stay out of court. They now work solely as accredited mediators specialising in all areas of family disputes.

Family Mediation and Mentoring provide;

·      Online and face to face meetings

·      Appointments from 8am – 8pm

·      An easy-to-use online booking service via our website

·      Access to apply for one of the £500 government vouchers

·      A free call to answer any initial questions

If you think family mediation could help you or someone you know deal with your divorce then call on 0800 206 2258 or email at hello@familymandm.co.uk.Alternatively, go to the website which contains lots of helpful information and you can use the online booking system to book a free call at a time that suits you – www.familymediationandmentoring.co.uk

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