Can anyone please recommend an excellent divorce lawyer near SW London?

[santarem]

Hi. I would really appreciate all your advice. My STBXH is much more financially better off and savvy in these matters than me and I really don't want me and the children to be fleeced by him (which i think he is more than capable of doing). Thanks in advance.

[WellWhoKnew]

You need to be going around a lot of solicitors to answer that question...

The most gung-ho of solicitors are the newly qualified, just so you know.

So I'll give you a frame of reference:

Do you feel more comfortable disclosing every aspect of your life (including your sex life) with a man or a woman?

Are you looking for retribution or a fair split of the assets according to the law?

Do you want a solicitor who is firm with you or firm with him?

Are you or he an expat? Is he a working solicitor/high-earning banker?

Then you need a solicitor who is not only a specialist in family law, but savvy in the workings of international financing.

What can you afford?

Are you a so called 'big money divorce', medium money divorce or small money divorce?

When you ask for recommendations, what is your current situation?

In SW London, you have access to the best solicitors and barristers in the UK. The question is: a) can you afford them (and I'm talking 6 figure costs), and b) what is your motivation for wanting 'the best'.

I have a named SHL. But I only learnt this after I hired her. She's doing a mighty fine job - but it was not a question of me choosing her, she chose me.

She could have told me take a running jump.

I shortlisted her on the basis:

I wanted a woman
I wanted a solicitor who understood international lifestyle
I wanted a woman who inspired me but was sympathetic to me
I wanted a solicitor who understood the uniqueness of my situation.

That's it.

I found that solicitor within 100 miles of my home. I did a lot of research into what I felt I needed, and shortlisted to five. My SHL was the first one on my list (by virtue of having the first free appointment).

I cancelled the other four.

I probably got lucky. As I say, she probably chose me, rather than I chose her. I could have visited the other four - I didn't.

I'm having a gloriously acrimonious divorce. I pay the bills. So far, so good in that I've managed to get loans to cover the costs (and also, thanks to my Twat of STBXH, got costs awarded after the first hearing- but I can only stress, despite what you think, I'm in the 0.002% of cases this year that have achieved that).

I'm in horrendous debt to get this far. It will be worth it in the end - but can you live with the terror of it all? I have no money in the middle.

So ask again - what do you need a solicitor to achieve for you?

Divorce is nothing like depicted in the movies. It is more of long boring accountancy meeting.

Unless you have children at school/college age. Then it's a bit more difficult.

Sorry to disappoint, but I'm hearty tired of being told to 'take my husband to the cleaners'.

I'm just fighting for my 50%. And it's hard going some days.

So be very clear about what you want...and I'll give you practical advice.

[wafflyversatile]

Resolution.org should be able to help you narrow down your search

[TeapotDictator]

Some good advice there from WWW although I would disagree with some of it. I'm now 2 years into a very acrimonious divorce too (and have also been awarded some costs thus far).

I wouldn't say that a lawyer chooses you based on your case - they are commercially minded after all and I haven't come across one yet who said they wouldn't be interested in my case. I think them 'choosing' to have you as a client enters the equation further down the line, when (in my husband's case ) they realise their client is a complete nightmare. A husband/wife who is a nightmare in a divorce is no doubt a nightmare to their solicitor, especially as it slowly dawns on them that the law is not on their side.

Be aware of the crazy costs associated with a contested divorce - I have spent upwards of £25,000 so far and we are potentially still a long way from the end. I found my lawyer (in central London) through recommendation and have now recommended him to a fair few people who have switched to him. I think he's fantastic.

Following on from WWW's points, I'd say you want somebody who is firm - and realistic - with you AND with your husband's solicitors. You don't need to spend a fortune but you're looking at £250ph+ in central London. I almost decided to go with a company called Red Bar Law who were recommended by a barrister friend. Rather unusually they offer a fixed fee service, although more firms are going that way in recent years as I understand it. They quoted me £8,500 to take me up to an FDR, and although I chose to go elsewhere due to preferring the personality/style of my solicitor, from a financial perspective I am rather annoyed with myself for not opting for the fixed fee route!

Happy to recommend my lawyer to you too, he's based in Holborn around the corner from the Family Court and offers an introductory meeting free of charge. PM me if you'd like details.

[WellWhoKnew]

Scary, isn't it Teapot! I think you had a lucky escape by not doing the 'fixed fee' though - my impression is that they do as little work as they can get away with to maximise the profit. STBXH has 'fixed fee' - and the service he is getting is shoddy.

I see the point you're making about 'choice', but I think very successful solicitors pick and choose their clients (demand outstrips supply, after all) and with the benefit of hindsight, I would be wary of having a solicitor who wasn't very busy. The downside is that it can be long gaps between hearing from them, though!

"especially as it slowly dawns on them that the law is not on their side." - and that's why it an acrimonious divorce is just that - it's a flipping nightmare divorcing a 'master of the universe'! Take it yours is one as well?

[TeapotDictator]

I know what you mean, and I'd definitely not want one who didn't seem busy. However, I think that very senior and successful ones just delegate most of the work so are able to take on large numbers of clients. I don't know that I'd want to feel as though my case made me stand out from the crowd somehow - with lawyers being priced as they are I'd be worried they saw my life as car-crash enough to be something of a cash cow falling into their lap.
I'm lucky that mine is very responsive when it matters - if he's not calling me back I know it's because he's dealing with something more important. (It took me a while to get this fact... to start with I was so emotional and distraught I had no idea what was important and what wasn't)

Re. fixed fee - I think it's different when you're talking about high street firms offering the kind of fixed fee you associate more with uncontested divorces. But particularly with the abolition of the vast majority of Legal Aid, legal firms are having to step up to the plate to make their services more available to the everyday client. I welcome the switch over to the fixed fee approach and have noticed that direct access barristers are starting to offer it too. I had a meeting with a direct access barrister who had a 'deal' taking you right up to and including a final hearing for £10,000.

My ex is absolutely horrendous. We were in court the other day and once again he was unbelievably rude and arrogant. His barrister clearly hated him (and the feeling appeared mutual). We're in court again this week for the FDR. I could talk for hours about it all - happy to PM if you like..!

[WellWhoKnew]

Let's PM I'm great at whinging about my divorce. Also keen to hear about FDR, I'm at FDA in a couple of weeks (sigh).

[pinkfrocks]

Have 2 friends who used Charles Russell in central London- they deal with a lot of high value divorces. William is a family lawyer there.

[hamptoncourt]

This is who I used Good luck OP

[Highlandheath]

Not one of the silly expensive ones, if I had it to do again, I'd go for Russell Cooke in Putney.... A friend of mine had them, and they did a great job for her, at a reasonable price, it was a complex divorce, she got the same barrister as me... I can PM you his name he is BRILL, and a fighter, and he respects women and mothers, which isn't a given in the family courts... She spent a fraction of what I did, and got much more support, far better service, kept the house - I lost everything, including the independent property I had brought to the marriage, to a high earning ex who even has a Trust Fund...., but my expensive divorce lawyers did very well out of me and the kids... I've probably paid for their holiday home, by losing my own...

[neverbetrickedagain]

Highlandheath, do you mind if I ask what is reasonably priced for you? I've contacted a few solicitors, those in central London are really expensive and I even contacted some rather cheap but they turned out to be less than reliable and I need someone to match my STBH's solicitor. I'm still looking for a solicitor, which is not as easy as I thought it would be as I have very limited funds due to financial abuse.

[Slowlyslowlycatchamonkey]

Please could you supply details of divorce solicitors and or information. My ex MIL is ex family law secretary and worked for big solicitors and knows ger stuff. My stbxh wants all financial decisions to go thru solicitors insisting i can file for divorce and he'll 'sign anything'. I dont have money...we dont really, but kids and ge will inherit big in future. I want clean break but is gonna drag on and costly. Pelase help

[Patzee]

Hello

Ive just had my divorce and all my child maintenance / care arrangement matters sorted out with a firm of Solicitors in London. They were incredibly dilligent and fought hard for my corner. I would highly recommend them to any woman or man go through the same family law / divorce case i had. We have now had everything order by the court and i coudlnt be more grateful for their help. I recommend OTS Solicitors, and they family team. They can be contacted on the website: www.otssolicitors.co.uk/divorce-and-family-law


Patzee

[GlideLikeASwan]

Please can you send me the name of the contact at Russell Cooke. Thanks

[miarobson]

My sister used Pinney Talfourd. They were really professional and efficient. I would suggest taking a looking at them.