With the long standing reduction in Legal Aid there are more people representing themselves in family proceedings at Court. Representing yourself may sound like a good idea, and you may think that it will save you money, but do you know:
your rights?
what you are entitled to?
how and where to issue divorce proceedings?
what forms to use?
what information and documentation you need?
Did you know that getting divorced does not sever your financial ties to each other? This means that, even after you finally receive that Decree Absolute confirming you are now divorced, unless you have addressed the financial position between you correctly then your claims remain open. For example, if you win the lottery or inherit monies your ex-partner could make a claim for a share of those monies.
Getting divorced is a lot more involved than simply filling out the forms and sending them to the Court and unnecessary conflict can be created by people trying to resolve issues themselves without proper information or advice to guide them.
Having legal representation does not:
have to be expensive;
mean that your matter will become acrimonious;
mean that you are not willing to compromise;
or mean that you are not negotiating
Having legal representation means that you want to settle the issues between you as swiftly and amicably as possible in a way that will allow both of you to move on with your lives with as little confrontation as possible.
Contact Sarah Lightfoot-Webber in our Family Department, a Resolution Member (www.resolution.org.uk), for an informal chat about how she can help you.
