Have you considered marriage guidance?

We must confirm to the Court that we have raised with you the possibility of marriage guidance. If you require further information concerning marriage guidance please go to the following website: https://www.relate.org.uk/

If you have considered marriage guidance and do not wish to proceed with the divorce, please contact us to discuss your options. In this event, please complete the remainder of this questionnaire and we will contact you to discuss your options.

If you wish to apply for a court fee exemption or you are not sure and require further information, please go to the following website: https://www.gov.uk/get-help-with-court-fees

If you are eligible for a court fee exemption, you will be provided with a Help With Fees reference number. Once you have been issued the number, you will need to provide us with the number so that we can claim the fee exemption at the same time as applying for your divorce.

If you have completed the Help With Fees application but are awaiting a decision, please complete the rest of this questionnaire. Once you have completed the application, if you are eligible and receive a Help With Fees Reference number, please forward it to us. We will not be able to apply for your divorce until you have provided the number.

Whether you claim the costs of the divorce against your spouse will usually depend upon whether the proceedings are defended by your spouse or if they fail to co-operate with the divorce. If you want to make a claim for costs, this has to be done through a separate Court application and additional fees will apply. The Court will assess the application for costs based on the merits of the application, which will depend upon the circumstances of your case. You should not claim costs unless you have strong arguments for doing so, as it is likely to complicate and delay the proceedings. You should also be aware that if you include a claim for costs, it will mean we cannot deal with your divorce on a fixed fee basis. Please also be aware that although the court may make an order that your spouse pays or contributes towards your divorce costs, the Court will not automatically enforce the order and you may need to incur additional legal costs in enforcing the order if your spouse does not pay.

Please now submit your questionnaire.

Once we receive the questionnaire, one of our lawyers will review it before preparing your divorce application. If we need to clarify any of your responses, we will call you to discuss.

We will then prepare the draft divorce application, which will be sent to you for approval before it is filed with the Court.