So called free initial consultations - divorce financial agreement

leo1983

Hi,

I am looking to hire a divorce lawyer to discuss the potential outcomes of a financial settlement should I wist to go ahead and separate.

I would like to know if anyone here has made use of the so called free fifteen minute consultations that some firms offer? Do you actually get to discuss the ins and outs of a financial settlement or is it just a sales pitch?

How much did your consultation cost if it was not free?

What I am after is to explain our assets, who and when has brough what into the marriage and get an idea of best worst case scenario.

Thanks

strawb_shortcake

Not divorced, but that seems a lot of detail to get across in 15 minutes, and get a best and worse case scenario 

Brie

If it's anything like the free hour you get with an IFA I think they will take a few details and give you some general information without actually giving you specific legal advice.  Not quite a sales pitch but more like speed dating - do I like you, would I like to talk to you some more?  And then they'd follow up with some cost details.  

RAS

Have you at least reviewed wikivorce.com? That would enable you to ask more relevant questions about the more difficult aspects?

Working_Mum

The purpose of the initial /free consultation is to get to grips with the situation and the process. The firm I work for wouldn't give actual advice in any free meeting.

Getting divorced is a big thing so you'd be better paying for an hour of proper advice (what £300 tops) rather than doing it on the cheap. These things can't be undone without a lot of cost and hassle once signed off by a judge.

elsien

It’s not a sales pitch but you’re not going to be able to discuss any out in any detail and obviously, they are hoping to get business out of it. 

I accompanied someone to a 30 minute appointment and getting the background took up most of that time. A discussion of what they can offer, what the costs would be. 

A discussion about legal aid for domestic violence, quick pointers about mediation. A very general summary. 

The person did find it helpful as a starting point but proper legal advice tailored to your circumstances, you have to pay for.

BrassicWoman

Why wouldnlt you expect to pay someone you expect to do work for you?

That's what assessing your postion and giving a view is; work.

TBagpuss

It's not a sales pitch, it's more so that you can meet the lawyer, decide whether thery re someone you feel you can work with, and get some broad, general infomration - so , for instnace, they woul be able to talk to you about the sorts of factors that are likely to be relevant in considering whhat sort of settlement might be reasonble , but not to give any detialed or specifc advice.

AskAsk

i have done it and it is not advice.  it is to find out your situation so by the time you have explained that and answered their questions, the 15 minutes is pretty much up.

you can ask them specific questions but it has to be generic rather than personal as they will only give you generic answers so don't rely on it as advice, but it may be helpful to have a chat with them and ask a couple of questions.  no harm done.

they will also tell you their hourly charge so you can shop around to get the cheaper rates but it doesn't necessarily result in less costs as the number of hours that they will need to spend on your case is unpredictable, hence they are expensive as they won't give a fixed quote.

Exodi

I expect the conversation will be more:

"My name is X and I'm one of the solicitors here. We have helped many clients negotiate fair settlements in divorce, including [insert success stories here]. So could I get a little bit of general background information please?"
<you say general details>
"OK great, yes I understand your situation and I'm confident our firm can help. I will send our fee schedule and my contact details and I recommend we set up a full appointment next week and get started, bringing along details and statements of any assets, and we go from there?"

As opposed to you having to talk like an auctioneer to get through your situation, and the solicitor concluding on the 15th free minute with:

"Here's what you should do, give her £500k from the house and she should agree to you keeping your pension, then the cars belong to you but any other other property in the house is hers".

(it also doesn't make much sense from a business perspective why they'd do this).

Personally I would try to avoid involving divorce lawyers in general, if there is potential for you to be able to negotiate a fair settlement (e.g. start by adding up everything you own, including savings, pensions, property, assets, etc, and splitting it down the middle). Not only can divorce lawyers bring significant cost (often outweighing any benefit you receive from successfully negotiating a larger piece of the pie) but cynically I believe they can deliberately foster an environment where a fair settlement can not be agreed (e.g. both parties have been told by their solicitors that they're entitled to more, so they both believe they're being taken advantage of by offering any sort of compromise). Usually the only person that wins in the end is the solicitors.