Court and costs - how to do as cheaply as possible

[AllInTentsWithPorpoises]

So I may have to take exh to court as mediation is broken down. Mediator has mentioned it could be really expensive. So really, how expensive is it and how can you keep costs down? Where are the vital points to use a solicitor and what can I do myself?
He's a narcissist and currently in the process of trying to hoover everything back up after backing out of our MOU before the solicitor could sign it off.

Really impossible for anyone to answer that.

If you have no children and the facts of the marriage (assets, debts and income) are undisputed than you need minimal legal support and can represent yourself. This assumes you have the mental resilience to deal with his hoovering.

If the facts of the marriage are disputed or undisclosed then it could cost a fortune to use solicitors, accountants and barristers to establish the truth either in court or out of it.

Thanks. I have a horrible feeling doing it will cost a fortune if i go this route. 2 kids. finacial Disclosure would need updated but i doubt either would be contested as we've done all that bit before mediaton. God I hate him so much.
ah well, time to go back over my plan and re-assess i guess.

It is possible to do it on a budget but as above depends what expert help you might need to prove assets.

In general though there is a lot you can do yourself, and use a solicitor on a pay as you go basis. I just made an appointment whenever I need to check the legal position on something or needed advice on a next step.

I did have to pay for a pensions expert report and I appointed a barrister on a direct access basis. I would have been happy to represent myself but thought with STBEX in the room so to speak, it would be triggering so I wanted to have someone do the talking for me. (And he did do a great job so it was absolutely worth it). We settled at FDR which helped, if we'd gone to Final hearing I'd have had to pay the barrister for another appearance.

Hope that helps. If you think he's trying to hide assets, probably best to issue Form A now so that the last 12 months bank statements and financial info will show any gaps/discrepancies etc.

Good luck :)

If you are going to do stuff yourself. A good tip is not to immediately respond to any correspondence or requests from him and his team. Don’t get baited. Wait until you can be calm and composed.

Then remove any bluster and bullying and baiting elements from correspondence. Drill down to the basic request or ask. Then respond factually and ignore the rest. Have some stock phrases ready.

Keep a log of all requests / offers. When they are made and when you / he answered. What answer was supplied.