First meeting with solicitor.

[tellmesomethingtrue]

First appointment booked with family solicitor as I'm proceeding with a divorce. Almost £400 will be payable before this appointment.

Does anyone know what will actually happen in this initial appointment please? I've already had their free 30min telephone appointment.

I just don't know what I'll be getting for the £400.

You'll speak to a solicitor rather than a paralegal or trainee. Instead of giving you generic advice, they will be able to advise you on your own situation (provided you give them all the information they need of course).

Yep basically this!

OP they'll ask you for a run down of the situation, encourage other solutions and help you navigate a way forward as well as scoping out what their retainer will actually be

Also bear in mind some solicitors will tell you what the best case outcome will be. Make sure they tell you the worst case outcome and also challenge them if what they promise sounds too good to be true.

For example, if they start trying to tell you that you can stay in the family home until your youngest child is 18 or that they can get you long term spousal maintenance when your ex isn't a millionaire, make sure to ask them how often that has happened in contested cases in your local court in the past few years. Neither are common divorce outcomes in court in my region but I still know a lot of solicitors on the opposing side who will try and convince their clients and their opponents that they are!