Solicitor cost

[Notmyyearthisyear]

How much are you paying per hour and are you happy with the service?
I’ve seen ones from £180 to £300 p/h plus vat and just wondering if it’s worth paying the extra money. My divorce should be straightforward but my stbx is a very difficult person, to put it gently.

Mine is costing £300 plus per hour.
Worth every penny as my stbx doesn’t want me to have anything and argues over every small detail.
I’ve instructed the senior partner in the firm and she thinks he’s extremely difficult!
I wouldn’t necessarily say if you paid less the service wouldn’t be as good but mine has an excellent reputation and I’m willing to pay the money.

I think the more expensive ones have a lot more experience and are therefore more confident in their advice. I had a cheaper one last year and I could tell the difference. I am struggling to pay but i need her as my ex is difficult, I am using her with mediation.

I think you need to look at what you ask them to do - filling out and sending off the divorce forms you can do yourself. The form e you can also do. Mine just drafted consent to order. He was clear that he didn't see value for me in paying him to do the simple stuff!

You could use the more expensive one but only use them for the stuff you cannot do yourself.

Thanks everyone. Yes, I’ve petitioned myself. Two weeks ago today and haven’t heard anything from the courts. Things seem to be soo painfully slow atm.
I’m worked hard all my life and scared to spend my life savings on solicitors but my ex can be so outrageously unreasonable I’m not sure I’ve got any choice.

You only get one chance at this, it's worth forking out to get your fair share

Hello

Use the more pricey one. Make sure to talk to the senior firm partner too.

Just got a bill this month, £450 quid for half an hour on the phone and one warning email sent 😳 plus a few more emails from the other party that my solicitor read but not responded to. This scares me.

They will charge/ account for every minute I'm afraid.

Before you speak to them, be specific in what you need to ask/ speak to the sol about. Is it something you can find out yourself online?

It's easy for sol bills to become unmanageable, but if you do your research first you can minimise the costs.

I paid £180 per hour in April this year. Plus VAT. we managed to use solicitors as little as possible…less that £2500 total cost of divorce inc court fees.
I’m in north west though. But your charges seem horrendous

Well they certainly horrify me! I’m very good at researching things, did my divorce application myself and got approved first time, but the issue is, my stbx can be outrageously unreasonable and I’m just so on the edge that I probably contact the solicitor unnecessarily! As I said, the £450 this month was for nothing, in the grand scheme of things. A warning email and a conversation. In fact, I also got charged for an email a solicitor sent with the details of an organisation that a) I didn’t ask for, b) isn’t of any use to me. Should I query that charge? Seems petty as it’s only 30 quid of the grand total but why should I pay it?
I’m in the north as well actually.

I pay mine £240 an hour. A colleague of mine used to work for a solicitor and said it’s shocking what they charge and what for - letters are reprints they send to everyone with name changes. It is so expensive!