DIY Divorces- Are they ever a good idea?

Being an ex -family law solicitor, my initial response is no no and no!

Always get a solicitor to do the legal stuff for you. You need to get it done properly. The money spent on getting it right first time far outweighs the unnecessary costs correcting any mistakes, or worse, having to live with a bad decision which could have been avoided had you had the benefit of legal advice beforehand.

But, there are rare, and I mean rare, circumstances when “Do It Yourself” divorces may be a possibility. ALL of the following criteria need to be met to satisfy me that a DIY divorce is at all appropriate…

1.       Both parties of the couple are young(below 30ish)

2.       It is a short term marriage(less than 5 years)

3.       There are NO children(and the wife is not pregnant)

4.       There are few assets to be divided up between the couple(finances are straightforward)

5.       The couple are fairly amicable about the separation and how the assets are to be divided AND how the divorce is to be conducted.

Even if you satisfy all of the above, you will still need to navigate through the legal process. The court websites are very useful for help on how to complete the necessary forms but legal jargon and processes can still be a minefield for the family law novice. It doesn’t take solicitors 6 years to qualify for nothing!

If you do not satisfy all of the above criteria, please don’t think about attempting to conduct your own divorce case. It may seem like a good cost saving exercise at the beginning but believe me it can quickly become very complicated and expensive if things are not done properly.

My recommendation is to agree as much as you can between you and your spouse then go to see a solicitor for them to formalise things for you. It is also important for both you and your spouse to get independent legal advice on whatever agreement you have reached between you.

Believe it or not, it can be much quicker and cheaper to instruct a solicitor to represent you than to dabble in the law on your own. Protect your legal position and make sure things are done properly. Marriage breakdown is stressful enough without trying to run your own divorce case. Put things in the capable hands of a specialist family law solicitor.

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For help on how to find the right solicitor, tips are how to prepare for the first solicitor meeting, and how to keep legal costs down, please contact me at Rhiannon Ford Divorce Consultancy- www.rhiannonford.co.uk