Three routes, three very different bills
Most people assume there are two choices: pay a solicitor or go it alone. There is a third, and it sits in the middle on cost as well as on responsibility.
Instruct a solicitor
£150 to £300+ an hour
Hourly rates often fall in that band outside London, and higher in London. Many firms quote fixed fees for each stage instead. A contested financial case commonly runs into several thousand pounds.
Legal advice, someone who runs the case for you, and representation at hearings.
Represent yourself
Court fees and your own time
Nothing has to be paid to anyone representing you, but you complete the forms, the disclosure, the statements, the bundle and the timetable, usually while working and coping with the separation itself.
Full control of your case, and every decision resting with you.
Use a McKenzie Friend
£80 an hour, £300 a half day, £500 a full day
You stay in charge and pay only for the time you use. Support is practical: forms, statements, bundles, preparation and attendance at hearings. It is not legal advice.
Help with the paperwork and someone beside you in court when you speak for yourself.
Solicitor figures are indicative of what firms commonly quote, not a quote for your case. Always ask for a written estimate.
There is a fourth option: unbundled legal advice
Most solicitors now offer unbundled services, sometimes called limited scope or fixed-fee advice. You instruct them for one defined task, such as reviewing your statement, advising on a settlement offer, or preparing you for a hearing, and you handle the rest yourself. It is usually quoted as a fixed fee, so you know the price before you commit. Ask any firm you approach whether they offer it and what the fee is. Legal advice has to come from a solicitor; it is not something a McKenzie Friend can give.
Why a solicitor's bill grows
The hourly rate is only half the story. Most people are surprised by how much work surrounds each hearing rather than by the hearing itself.
- •Time is recorded in six-minute units, including reading, travel and waiting at court.
- •Every hearing is prepared, attended and followed up as separate pieces of work.
- •Financial disclosure and court bundles generate the largest volume of documents.
- •Letters to the other side's solicitor are often the biggest single line on the bill.
What the court charges, whoever represents you
Court fees are paid to the court, not to anyone helping you, and representing yourself does not remove them. The divorce application fee is £593 at the time of writing; other family applications and the consent order fee are in the low hundreds or less.
Current court fees on GOV.UKWhere legal aid stops
Legal aid for private family cases is narrow. In practice it usually needs evidence of domestic abuse or involvement from children's services, and it is means tested. A legal aid solicitor can tell you within minutes whether you qualify, and that first conversation is normally free.
The free help that does exist
Support Through Court volunteers sit with people at many courts. Citizens Advice and law centres can point you to local help, and most solicitors offer a short free consultation. None of it runs your case for you, but it is worth using before you pay for anything.
Read more: do I need a solicitor for family court?What this help costs
Fixed rates, published in full, agreed in writing before any work starts. You are never committed to more time than you agree to.
£80
per hour
Hourly support
£300
per hearing
Half day in court
£500
per hearing
Full day in court
£250
per month
Monthly support