One of the most common concerns clients have when getting divorced is how much it is going to cost them. At Burd Ward we aim to provide fixed fee services where possible so that client’s know exactly how much their case is going to cost.
In divorce proceedings the major cost that clients have to pay is the Court fee. The Ministry of Justice increased the Court fee for issuing a divorce petition from £410 to £550. This is despite the fact that the work the Court carries out on a divorce file only costs them £270! It seems that the Ministry of Justice is profiting from divorcing parties at a time when they are vulnerable. Thankfully they decided not to pursue their original proposal which was to increase the fee to £750 however we consider the increase to £550 to still be too high.
There is hope however for those hoping to obtain a divorce. The Justice Select Committee has recently called for the increase in the divorce petition fee to be rescinded. They concluded that it was “unjustified†for the Courts to charge people double what it costs them to provide the service. We at Burd Ward wholeheartedly support the recommendations of the Justice Select Committee and hope that the Ministry of Justice will stop “taxing†people to obtain a divorce.
If you are thinking of getting divorced then we can help you. Our fees for straightforward divorce proceedings are £350+VAT. As stated above, there is also the Court fee of £550 to pay however depending on your income you may be eligible for fee remission which would mean you don’t have to pay some or all of this fee. We will be happy to assist you with your application for fee remission as part of our service to you.
If you would like more information regarding divorce proceedings please contact Laura Prysor-Jones on 0151 639 8273.