Family law fees
What we charge for family work, what each fee covers, and the court fees you pay on top.
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What a fixed fee covers
Every fixed fee below covers the following, unless the table says otherwise.
- An initial consultation and an assessment of where you stand.
- Advice on your options and what each one is likely to involve.
- Preparation of the documents the step requires.
- Correspondence with the other party or their solicitors.
- Advice on the outcome and what to do next.
The figures on this page include VAT. VAT is not charged where you are living outside the United Kingdom, and we will confirm the figure that applies to you before you decide.
Each matter is different, and one sometimes turns out to be more complex than it first appeared. If your fee is going to go beyond the figure we gave you, we will tell you before the extra work is done, not afterwards.
Advice and consultations
| Service | Fee, including VAT |
|---|---|
| Initial consultation, up to one hour | £216 |
| Initial consultation, with written advice to follow | £360 |
| Initial consultation, with a letter written to the other party | £420 |
Divorce and dissolution
Since April 2022 a divorce cannot be defended on the ground that the marriage has broken down. You can apply on your own, which is a sole application, or together with your spouse, which is a joint application.
| Service | Fee, including VAT | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sole application, acting for the applicant | £1,620 | |
| Sole application, acting for the respondent | £1,080 | |
| Joint application | Quoted before work starts | A joint application has no respondent. |
- Joint application
- A joint application is shared between the two of you, so what we do depends on how it is divided and whether we act for one of you or neither. We will give you a figure in writing before any work starts.
Children and separation
Before applying to court about children you will usually have to attend a mediation information and assessment meeting, unless an exemption applies. The mediator charges for that separately.
| Service | Fee, including VAT | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Parental responsibility agreement, on form C(PRA1) | £780 | |
| Parenting plan | £690 | A written record of what has been agreed about the children. It is not a court order and a court cannot enforce it. |
| Application for a child arrangements order, on form C100 | Quoted before work starts | This is an application about the children. It is separate from a financial order, and a separation often needs both. |
| Representation at court | Quoted before work starts |
- Application for a child arrangements order, on form C100
- The fee depends on whether the other parent agrees, how many hearings the court lists, and whether Cafcass is asked to report. We will give you a figure in writing before any work starts.
- Representation at court
- The fee depends on the number of hearings, what is in dispute, and whether counsel is instructed. We will give you a figure in writing before any work starts.
Money and property
Sorting out money and property is a separate application from the divorce itself, and separate again from anything about the children. A divorce ends the marriage. It does not divide anything, and it does not stop a former spouse making a financial claim years later.
| Service | Fee, including VAT |
|---|---|
| Financial order by consent, where you have already agreed the split | Quoted before work starts |
| Financial order where matters are not agreed | Quoted before work starts |
- Financial order by consent, where you have already agreed the split
- The work depends on what you have agreed and what has to be valued, and a consent order is much less work than a contested application. We will give you a figure in writing before any work starts.
- Financial order where matters are not agreed
- The fee depends on the assets in issue, whether pensions or a business have to be valued, how many hearings the court lists, and whether counsel is instructed. We will give you a figure in writing before any work starts.
Costs you pay to someone else
These are not our fees. They are paid to the court, the Home Office or another third party, and they are payable in addition to the figures above.
- Divorce or dissolution application fee
- £628, paid to HM Courts and Tribunals Service rather than to us. Help with fees may be available. Source: the EX50 court fee schedule.
- Application about a child, on form C100
- £270 for a child arrangements, prohibited steps or specific issue order, paid to HM Courts and Tribunals Service. Source: the EX50 court fee schedule.
- Application for a financial order, on form A
- £321 where the application is contested, or £62 where it is made by consent. A financial order is a separate application from anything about the children, and from the divorce itself. Source: the EX50 court fee schedule.
- Non-molestation and occupation orders: no court fee
- There is no court fee for applying for a non-molestation order, an occupation order, a forced marriage protection order or a female genital mutilation protection order, or for varying or discharging one. If you are in danger, the court fee is not a reason to wait. Source: the EX50 court fee schedule.
- Other court fees
- Set by HM Courts and Tribunals Service for the application made. Source: the EX50 court fee schedule.
- Mediation
- Charged by the mediator, including for the information and assessment meeting.
- Barrister's fees
- Where a barrister is instructed for a hearing.
- Expert reports
- Charged by the expert. We will tell you before one is commissioned.