Award Winning Top Divorce Lawyers Band 1 Ranked by Chambers HNW | Top Tier by Legal 500

• Chambers HNW 2025: Band 1, Leading Firm for Family Law
• Chambers UK 2026: Band 1, Leading Firm for Family Law
• Legal 500 UK 2025 & 2026: Top Tier, Leading Firm, Family Law
• ePrivateclient 2025: Tier 1 Ranking, Top Family Law Firms
• Doyle’s Guide 2025 & 2026: First Tier, Leading Family & Divorce Law (London)
• Spear’s Family Lawyers Index 2025: Featured for top family lawyers
• Chambers HNW Awards 2024: Winner, Family Law Team of the Year

A divorce solicitor is a legal professional qualified to advise and represent clients through separation and divorce and in relation to their financial separation. They provide guidance on the legal process, the relevant law and alternatives to court proceedings. A good divorce solicitor combines legal expertise with commercial awareness and emotional intelligence to guide clients towards fair and sustainable outcomes.

Family law solicitors advise clients in respect of a broad range of legal issues, including divorce, separation, cohabitation, financial remedies, child arrangements, relocation and abduction of children, domestic abuse, surrogacy and adoption. They will represent a client’s best interests through negotiation, Non-Court Dispute Resolution or through litigation.

The costs will depend on the complexity of the case, the degree of co-operation between the parties and whether the matter resolves through negotiation or requires court proceedings. Straightforward uncontested divorces are typically less expensive than complex high-net-worth cases involving business valuations, international assets or contested proceedings. Our charges are calculated by the time that we spend dealing with your matter.

At Payne Hicks Beach, we endeavour to provide a clear cost estimate at the outset and to keep you informed as your case progresses. We believe in transparency and ensuring our clients understand the value of the legal work being undertaken on their behalf.

Choosing the right divorce solicitor is one of the most important decisions you will make during separation. It can be a highly personal decision as you will need to work closely with your chosen adviser and will need to share with them your private information. It is advisable to consider solicitors ranked by independent legal directories such as Chambers, Legal 500 and Spear’s, where Band 1 and Top Tier rankings indicate sustained excellence and that an individual is held in high regard by their peers.

In England, the sole ground for divorce is that the marriage has irretrievably broken down. Before the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020, which came into force on 6 April 2022, it was necessary to rely on one of five facts to evidence that the marriage had broken down (adultery, unreasonable behaviour, desertion, 2 years separation with consent, or 5 years separation). Since 6 April 2022, the sole basis for granting a divorce has been that the marriage has irretrievably broken down. A statement to that effect will suffice, and there is no longer any requirement to provide evidence.

Once an application for divorce has been made, there will then be a minimum of twenty weeks’ “cooling off” period before the applicant(s) can apply to the court for a conditional order of divorce. This period is designed to give the parties time to reflect and to endeavour to resolve issues related to children and money. It is anticipated that the minimum period to obtain a divorce will be 26 weeks.

In practice, whilst the divorce could be obtained in 26 weeks, it is inadvisable to complete the process until such time as the finances have been resolved. Consequently, the divorce process is likely to take significantly longer than 26 weeks.

The divorce process begins with a divorce application, which can be filed jointly or individually. The sole ground for divorce is that the marriage has irretrievably broken down. At the same time as the divorce process commences, it is necessary to consider how the parties will disentangle themselves financially. This can be done consensually or by initiating proceedings in court. Whichever route is adopted, the process will start with each party producing a detailed financial disclosure to build a complete financial landscape against which negotiations can be conducted on how assets will be divided. Specialist advice can help ensure the optimal outcome.

A Form E is the standard Financial Statement used in divorce proceedings in England and Wales. Both parties must provide full and frank disclosure of their income, assets, liabilities, pensions and living expenses. It is extremely important that the disclosure exercise is completed carefully. Incomplete or misleading disclosure can result in adverse inferences being drawn, costs orders being made or an order being set aside.

Mediation is a voluntary process in which the parties agree to meet with a neutral mediator to help them reach an agreement between themselves. Mediation can be used to resolve matters relating to finances and child arrangements.

Collaborative law is a process in which both parties and their lawyers commit to resolving divorce matters through negotiation rather than court proceedings. If collaborative attempts to reach a settlement fail, both lawyers will withdraw from the process, and the matter goes to court with new representation.

Arbitration is a private process in which an independent arbitrator (usually a senior family lawyer or retired judge) hears evidence from both parties and makes a binding decision on financial settlement and/or child arrangements. It is confidential, faster than litigation and enforceable in courts worldwide. Other benefits are that it is quicker and can be arranged to suit the parties’ convenience in terms of location and timing.

A clean break order ends the financial ties between former spouses permanently. Once sealed by the court, neither party can make further financial claims against the other (unless they are seeking to reopen the original settlement in certain limited circumstances such as where there has been fraud or material non-disclosure). The court is required to consider in every case whether a clean break is achievable and appropriate. However, they are not always possible, for example, where one spouse has a disability that prevents them from becoming financially independent.

The family home is often the most valuable and emotionally significant asset. The court may provide for the property to be sold and the net equity divided between the parties, that the property is transferred to one spouse as part of their share of the assets or may order a deferred sale (known as a Mesher order and usually to enable one party to remain in the home with the children until they reach their majority). The court’s approach depends on both parties’ needs, children’s welfare and overall fairness.

Unmarried couples do not have the same legal rights as married couples. However, they may have rights in relation to property. If children are involved, you can apply for financial support for the child under Schedule One of the Children Act 1989.

Early specialist legal advice is essential. Both parties will be required to provide full and frank disclosure of all assets and income. Complex assets may require expert advice on structure and value. If you believe assets have been dissipated or hidden, expert assistance can help identify them.

Case example: A client instructed us after discovering that their spouse had begun transferring assets to family members in anticipation of divorce proceedings. We obtained an emergency freezing order within 48 hours, preventing further dissipation and preserving the matrimonial estate for fair division.

Failure to disclose assets is a serious breach of the duty to give full and frank disclosure. We can instruct asset tracers to identify concealed wealth, work with forensic accountants to uncover hidden assets, seek adverse inferences (court assumptions against the dishonest party), pursue contempt proceedings for breach of court orders and obtain worldwide freezing orders to secure assets.

If there are business interests that need to be valued, we will instruct an appropriately qualified expert to opine on the value. This is typically done pursuant to a Court order and will be on the basis that the expert will be a Single Joint Expert (“SJE”) whose responsibility will be to produce a report to the Court.

Case example: We instructed independent experts to value a group of private companies where the shareholding spouse had argued the businesses were worth significantly less than their true market value. The expert analysis, using multiple valuation methodologies, established a value more than three times the originally proposed figure, providing the basis for a substantially improved settlement.

Trusts may be complex. Courts take a pragmatic approach, looking beyond legal formality to assess whether a party has genuine control over trust assets, whether they receive substantial distributions and whether trust structures are genuine or designed to avoid the other party being able to access assets.

At Payne Hicks Beach, our family lawyers work closely with our private client and trust specialists to provide coordinated advice on trust-related issues in divorce.

Non-matrimonial property (such as assets owned before marriage or acquired after separation or inheritances) may be treated differently and excluded from the sharing exercise. However, if necessary, those assets may be invaded to meet the needs of the parties.

In the case of Standish v Standish [2025] the court made clear that non-matrimonial property should be excluded from the sharing exercise and went on to opine that non-marital property can become matrimonialised if the assets are treated as joint property during the currency of the marriage.

Pensions may be a significant asset that falls into the pot of matrimonial assets. There are a number of ways that the court may deal with pensions. They can be divided through pension sharing orders (a percentage of pension rights transfers to the other spouse into their own separate pension), pension offsetting (one party receives a larger share of other assets in exchange for the other keeping the pension) or earmarking orders (a percentage of future pension payments goes to the other spouse, though this is less common). Specialist pension advice is often required to understand tax implications and optimal division.

Child maintenance (or child support) is a financial provision for children after separation. It is typically calculated using the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) formula (income-based calculation for standard cases), court orders (for incomes above the CMS threshold or where CMS does not apply), or maintenance agreements between parents (which can be entirely voluntary or can be made enforceable by converting the agreement into a court order).

If the paying parent earns in excess of £156,000 per annum net, then the court retains the ability to make top up provision.

Yes. Spousal maintenance is financial provision for an ex-spouse (rather than children). It is discretionary and calculated based on the needs of the lower-earning spouse and the ability of the higher-earning spouse to pay the term of a maintenance order may vary. It may be for a specific period to enable one party a period of adjustment to become self-sufficient or in some cases it may be made for the joint lives of the parties. Maintenance will end on the death of one party or if the recipient enters a new marriage or civil partnership.

If you divorced without a financial order, it may still be possible to make an application for financial provision even if many years have passed since separation provided that you have not re-married. Such applications require careful consideration and early legal advice is advised.

Yes. Either party may file an application for divorce. Since 6 April 2022, a couple who are in agreement may file the application jointly.

It is no longer possible to defend a divorce application. The only grounds upon which a divorce or dissolution may be disputed are if a challenge is made to the validity or subsistence of the marriage/civil partnership or if a challenge is made to the jurisdiction of the court to hear the application.

No. There is usually no need for either party to attend court.

Until a Final Order of divorce is granted by the court, the marriage subsists. Up until that point, it is possible to invite the court to dismiss the divorce application.

Yes, it is technically possible to get divorced without the benefit of a solicitor. The divorce process is relatively straightforward and can be completed via the citizens online portal.  However, sorting out the finances without the benefit of legal advice is less straightforward and may result in you receiving less than you are entitled to.  It is also imperative to obtain a  court-sealed financial order or financial claims may remain open. For any case involving meaningful assets or complexity, specialist advice is strongly recommended.

A non-molestation order protects individuals and children from harassment, violence, or abuse by a partner or ex-partner. The court can grant such orders urgently for safeguarding, and a breach results in criminal penalties.

The Family Law Act 1996 is designed to offer protection to associated persons from domestic abuse. It includes occupation orders (regulating who may occupy a home) or non-molestation orders (requiring one party to refrain from contacting or going near the other).

Yes. If you are experiencing abuse, we can offer sympathetic advice on steps that you can take to obtain emergency protection (non-molestation and occupation orders). We are also able to refer you to appropriate support services.  We are also able to assist you with making appropriate accommodations for you to give best evidence at court by inviting the court to offer special measures.  This may include giving your evidence from behind a screen or using a separate entrance to enter court to avoid contact with your former partner.

Support is available. Contact us in confidence.

Not all family lawyers advise on these areas, and a specialist is required to navigate the complex procedures. We have several specialist lawyers who can assist with these matters.