CHILD ARRANGEMENTS ORDER CASES- FAMILY LAW
We charge an hourly fee of £220-£350.
We can also charge estimated fees for various tiers for instance in straight forward Child Arrangement Order cases we can charge:
Consultation: £200- £250 for 1 hour
From Consultation to the first hearing at court: £1500
Each hearing fee up to Final hearing: See Our Price to attend court to advocate for you
Charges for preparing bundle: See Our Prices to attend Court to advocate for you
FINANCIAL MATTER – FAMILY LAW
In Financial matters cases we can hold on from collecting any money from you till we bring in money in your case. We can charge a percentage of what you get or an hourly fee. Feel free to discuss this type of funding with us. Note that our charges are not conditional on you winning your case especially if it goes to final hearing.
Our firm’s charges are not contingent upon you winning your case. We will tell you the chances of your success in your court case and try and settle it before it goes to court You are primarily liable for the charges. Even if the court orders someone else to pay your costs, you will have to pay in the first instance and may then be reimbursed when the funds clear from the person ordered to pay your costs.
In cases involving court proceedings, it is always difficult to predict the amount of time that will be spent since much will depend on the directions of the court, the number of hearings at court and the duration of those hearings, the attitude of the other person in your case and their solicitors, the volume and complexity of the documents disclosed and the time needed to prepare, travel and wait in court..
The following bands below indicate how much your fees will be. These are estimates only and can be more or less.
BAND 1 – up to £2000 including VAT and expenses | |
This band will apply if a financial settlement is concluded after disclosure on a voluntary basis and negotiation between solicitors without formal, court-based, financial remedy proceedings. This estimate assumes that after exchange of voluntary disclosure we are able to reach a settlement reasonably quickly through your spouse’s Solicitors. It assumes that your spouse is not untruthful when they disclose their finances on the Form E and that they are not generally obstructive. It also assumes there is no international element to the case that will require assistance of a foreign lawyer and that limited or no valuation evidence is required. If any of these elements are present, the costs are likely to be between £2,000 to £4,000 | |
BAND 2 – up to £4,000 including VAT and expenses | |
This band will apply either if matters are concluded through a voluntary process, but the case is more complicated, or if financial remedy proceedings are issued in order to achieve a financial settlement and are concluded part way through by agreement either at or before a financial dispute resolution hearing (FDR). This estimate assumes that there are no interim applications to deal with; for example, for maintenance pending suit (interim maintenance). If there are, we will give you an estimate of the cost of dealing with the interim applications separately. The estimate also assumes that input from an accountant is not required, that the other party is not untruthful in his/her disclosure and is not generally obstructive, and that there are no international legal issues that require the assistance of a foreign lawyer. This estimate does include the cost of a barrister being briefed to represent you at the FDR, if appropriate. We will discuss this with you at the relevant time. | |
BAND 3 – up to £17,000 including VAT and expenses | |
This band will apply if financial remedy proceedings are issued in order to achieve a financial settlement, and either (1) the case is straightforward, but requires a final hearing of no more than two days, or (2) the case settles before a final hearing but there are complex and time-consuming issues such as the need for accountancy evidence and/or other valuations, or interim hearings, such as maintenance pending suit. This estimate assumes that a barrister will be briefed to represent you at the FDR and at the final hearing. It assumes that your spouse is not untruthful in his/her disclosure and is not generally obstructive. It also assumes that there are no international legal issues that require the assistance of a foreign lawyer. If any of these issues are present, then we will advise you about the likely cost of dealing with them. | |
BAND 4 – up to £25,00 0 including VAT and expenses | |
This band will apply if financial remedy proceedings are issued in order to achieve a financial settlement, and require a final hearing of more than two days. This estimate assumes that a barrister will be briefed to represent you at the FDR and at the final hearing, and that accountancy or other professional evidence is required. It assumes that your spouse is not untruthful in his/her disclosure and is not generally obstructive. It also assumes that there are no interim applications. If there is an interim application (eg, for interim maintenance) or a need to obtain advice from a foreign lawyer on any international issues, then we will advise you separately about the cost of dealing with this. | |
BAND 5 – over £35,000 including VAT and expenses | |
This band will apply if financial remedy proceedings are issued in order to resolve a financial settlement. It assumes that matters proceed to a final hearing of more than two days and that a barrister is briefed to represent you at the FDR and at the final hearing. It assumes accountancy or other professional evidence will be required, that there is significant non-disclosure by the other party and that [he OR she] is obstructive resulting in interim hearings to assure his/her compliance with the proceedings. It also assumes there may be international legal issues that require the assistance of a foreign lawyer. If we reach the point where it is likely that the costs will exceed this level, we will let you know in advance wherever possible and will then provide you with ongoing estimates as the case progresses. |
DISBURSEMENTS
These are not our legal fees, they are third party fees and you will need to pay your disbursements. How much Disbursements you pay will depend on the area of law that your case falls into. Examples of disbursements are:
LIKELY DISBURSEMENTS (THIRD PARTY FEES) IN FAMILY LAW CASES
I. Filing an application for a divorce nullity | £550 |
II. Application for a financial order, other than by consent | £255 (Interim application: £155) |
III. Application by consent for a financial order | £50 |
IV. Application for a non-molestation order | No fee payable |
V. Application for an occupation order | No fee payable |
VI. Please note only the respondent’s first attempt to challenge a non-molestation order is free. | Any further attempts require a fee of £95 |
VII. a. Child Arrangements Order b. Prohibited Steps Order c. Specific Issue Order or d. Special guardianship order | £215 |
VIII. Application for an enforcement order under the Children Act 1989 | £215 |
IX. Application to revoke, amend, extend or take action following the breach of an existing Children Act 1989 enforcement order | £95 |
