Family Law Service: Fees
At Chadwick Lawrence, we understand the importance of knowing, as far as possible, the likely costs of your case from the outset. Providing you with accurate and transparent advice about the costs is even more important when you may already be facing uncertainty and upheaval in your life.
We offer an initial free, no-obligation telephone call, during which we will discuss your objectives and how you might want us to help you. Where possible, we will provide an estimate of the likely costs of the work you require, during that initial appointment, or shortly thereafter. You will receive an estimate of the likely overall costs of your case and where appropriate, we will also provide an estimate of the likely costs of each stage of your case, to help you plan and budget accordingly. Our costs estimates are always confirmed in writing to you.
Wherever your case allows and in order to provide you with some additional certainty around the costs you may incur, we will endeavour to offer fixed fees for the work you require.
The main types of work we are generally able to consider undertaking on a fixed fee basis are typically:
- Divorce and Civil partnership dissolution (minimum fee £750 plus VAT, plus current Court fee)
- Financial Consent Order applications in divorce, where the financial arrangements have been agreed (minimum fee £1,000 plus VAT, plus current Court fee)
- Living Together Agreements (fee will depend on the issues and complexity)
- Other agreements, such as simple separation agreements (fee will depend on the issues and complexity)
In other cases, usually where you are likely to require ongoing legal advice and support on less straight forward matters concerning finances, or the children, we will charge an hourly rate for the work undertaken. The hourly rate will vary according to the experience of the lawyer dealing with your case and the level of legal expertise required. The rate will also take into account the urgency of the work you require undertaking.
Sometimes we may be able to agree to undertake certain parts of your case on an hourly rate basis and some parts on a fixed fee basis. We understand that every client and therefore every case is unique and we encourage an ongoing and open dialogue with you about the funding of your case throughout.
