Divorce without a solicitor?

[Niquos85]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has divorced without a solicitor? We are in the early stages despite splitting up a year and a half ago. Amicable at times and a nightmare at others. He wants to do it without solicitors and I don't exactly have money spare to use one either. We have 3 children and sadly he is trying to pay me the bare minimum and the mediator even said what he was proposing would not get signed off in court as I would be left vulnerable. Any advice?!

Thank you 😊

Get a solicitor.
This isn't for you it's for your kids.
I've been badly burnt from trusting

You can do the divorce bit yourself (£550). If he won’t mediate sensibly, then you could take him to court yourself for the finance side (£290?). You could represent yourself at the first hearing (FDA) if it gets that far, but would probably need a barrister thereafter if still not resolved. You need to have the decree nisi before you could take him to court for the finances (you would need to send off Form E). You wouldn’t be able to get the absolute until you had the financial consent order. Worth speaking to a solicitor though for financial bit. You don’t necessarily need to instruct a solicitor as this is how costs easily mount up. I am paying for solicitor advice as and when required.

I have seen lots of friends have trouble with solicitors but given his track record, and kids are involved I would recommend getting one. Go on to law society website, search by your postcode and give some a call. Your mediator may be able to give a list of local specialists, Good luck, OP. The Citizens Advuce website has a good basic website with all the things to think about and explanations which is worth reading.

I did my divorce with no solicitor, very straight forward. BUT...I had no kids, no mortgage, no joint assessts etc.
I think you're probably safer getting advice for the financial side.

I think (if I'm remembering correctly) you can start the divorce and do the financial orders etc. after you've started but has to be before applying for the decree absolute (check .Gov website though, it was a few years ago for me).

Men suggest no solicitors so they can get away without paying out what they should and so they won't be held accountable for their actions. A solicitor is an absolute necessity. Preferably a shit hot one. Think of it as an investment.

Crazy. There are children involved. What are you going to do without a court order when he starts messing around with custody and maintenance??

In cases like this, think: can you afford to not have a solicitor? There’s cost but more to lose in the long run.