Need advice on Solicitor fees on divorce financial settlement

T.T.D

pphillips said:

T.T.D said:

pphillips said:

rajesh22 said:

@T.T.D
The fixed fee is only for the divorce process, which has no list of tasks in their client care letter. 
I asked for the list of items in my latest email to them.

By the way, my case is still not taken to the court, it is just between two solicitors.  They just exchanged Form-E and communicated questions and answers.   


I got another estimate if this case goes to court as:
If the case is done with one hearing: around £6000 + Disbursements(Barrister, Expertfee, Travel etc) 
If the case is done with two hearings: around £9000 + Disbursements(Barrister, Expertfee, Travel etc)
Still, I cannot estimate the total disbursement as this is on a case basis.

Another question in this context:  Do we opt to select the court, based on the distance of the parties home? or preferable to solicitors?

There’s no profit in her fixed-rate she’s working at a loss as a firm partner and experience as a senior by what you describe as a fixed divorce fee. 

The senior solicitor has not done anything on my case, apart from the initial free 30 min discussion.
My case is being dealt with by the Junior solicitor.

Thanks again.

The fixed fee divorce process is likely to include the following tasks:

1. Communication with you and the respondent's solicitor regarding the divorce particulars 

2. Drafting and issuing a D8 Divorce Petition Form

3. Receiving the Acknowledgment of Service from the court

4. Drafting and filing the Decree Nisi application 

5. Receiving the Nisi Pronouncement

6. Drafting and filing the Decree Absolute application 

7. Receiving the Decree Absolute 

The hearing venue is likely to be the respondents local court.

Yes basic process of the divorce application, when BOTH parties want a speedy divorce, and one won’t obstruct the other and both have nothing to split, nothing to share, no family matters to have attend to and issues with details of the application correct and uncontested. Ideal world divorce really for anyone, rarely goes like that though. 

We haven’t got the terms of the contract agreement with the OP and the solicitor to give a break down of services and costs to be expected on this fixed rate contract, we don’t know what is included and what isn’t. 

We don’t know if the OP’s divorce is plain sailing either, by the sounds of it it isn’t, what was the context of his questions to his solicitor so many variables here we don’t know it’s hard to state yes that should have been included in the fixed rate contract, and that wasn’t.

And again, he may not have been on a fixed rate contract at all, and be mistaken, or confused as to what he agreed to. 

Points for clarification OP.

It's pretty clear to me what isn't included in a 'fixed fee' divorce:
1. Any work or costs relating to marital assets and children (these may involve their own proceedings, hearings and court fees). 
2. Any work that is unexpected such as a hearing, the other party not co-operatating or contesting the legal / factual basis of the divorce.

Anyone who agrees to a fixed fee divorce would reasonably expect this to include the basic paperwork essential to obtaining a divorce.

OP has already stated that he has no particulars of his own contract with his solicitor, only a client care letter that he says states nothing about his fixed rate, what we can reasonably expect and what he is actually receiving as a contracted service could be worlds apart. 

From reading his first post he agreed to 950+VAT to instruct the solicitors firm to action his divorce and only his divorce and aside to the he has instructed a juniour to act on his finances at 200plus dreaded a go, and the Juniour has done all the dealing so far.

pphillips

T.T.D said:

pphillips said:

T.T.D said:

pphillips said:

rajesh22 said:

@T.T.D
The fixed fee is only for the divorce process, which has no list of tasks in their client care letter. 
I asked for the list of items in my latest email to them.

By the way, my case is still not taken to the court, it is just between two solicitors.  They just exchanged Form-E and communicated questions and answers.   


I got another estimate if this case goes to court as:
If the case is done with one hearing: around £6000 + Disbursements(Barrister, Expertfee, Travel etc) 
If the case is done with two hearings: around £9000 + Disbursements(Barrister, Expertfee, Travel etc)
Still, I cannot estimate the total disbursement as this is on a case basis.

Another question in this context:  Do we opt to select the court, based on the distance of the parties home? or preferable to solicitors?

There’s no profit in her fixed-rate she’s working at a loss as a firm partner and experience as a senior by what you describe as a fixed divorce fee. 

The senior solicitor has not done anything on my case, apart from the initial free 30 min discussion.
My case is being dealt with by the Junior solicitor.

Thanks again.

The fixed fee divorce process is likely to include the following tasks:

1. Communication with you and the respondent's solicitor regarding the divorce particulars 

2. Drafting and issuing a D8 Divorce Petition Form

3. Receiving the Acknowledgment of Service from the court

4. Drafting and filing the Decree Nisi application 

5. Receiving the Nisi Pronouncement

6. Drafting and filing the Decree Absolute application 

7. Receiving the Decree Absolute 

The hearing venue is likely to be the respondents local court.

Yes basic process of the divorce application, when BOTH parties want a speedy divorce, and one won’t obstruct the other and both have nothing to split, nothing to share, no family matters to have attend to and issues with details of the application correct and uncontested. Ideal world divorce really for anyone, rarely goes like that though. 

We haven’t got the terms of the contract agreement with the OP and the solicitor to give a break down of services and costs to be expected on this fixed rate contract, we don’t know what is included and what isn’t. 

We don’t know if the OP’s divorce is plain sailing either, by the sounds of it it isn’t, what was the context of his questions to his solicitor so many variables here we don’t know it’s hard to state yes that should have been included in the fixed rate contract, and that wasn’t.

And again, he may not have been on a fixed rate contract at all, and be mistaken, or confused as to what he agreed to. 

Points for clarification OP.

It's pretty clear to me what isn't included in a 'fixed fee' divorce:
1. Any work or costs relating to marital assets and children (these may involve their own proceedings, hearings and court fees). 
2. Any work that is unexpected such as a hearing, the other party not co-operatating or contesting the legal / factual basis of the divorce.

Anyone who agrees to a fixed fee divorce would reasonably expect this to include the basic paperwork essential to obtaining a divorce.

OP has already stated that he has no particulars of his own contract with his solicitor, only a client care letter that he says states nothing about his fixed rate, what we can reasonably expect and what he is actually receiving as a contracted service could be worlds apart. 

From reading his first post he agreed to 950+VAT to instruct the solicitors firm to action his divorce and only his divorce and aside to the he has instructed a juniour to act on his finances at 200plus dreaded a go, and the Juniour has done all the dealing so far.

I'm not sure if you are saying the £950+VAT was just a retainer?

It's possible the OP is mistaken about a fixed fee, but I prefer to take what they are saying at face value.