Reaching the decision to divorce is a highly emotive and stressful time, you may feel completely overwhelmed and unable to see things clearly. The starting point is to choose a solicitor and arrange an appointment/telephone consultation.

KBL’s family team have put together a few tips to help you.

1/ Choose your solicitor carefully. Do your research, make sure they are a divorce specialist at a reputable firm. Check whether they are a member of Resolution, an organisation committed to promoting a constructive approach to family issues. It is very important that you appoint someone you feel comfortable with, can trust and will be able to confide in and talk to honestly. Most importantly choose a solicitor you feel you’ll be able to work with to achieve the best possible outcome.

2/ Financial disclosure. One of the first things you and your solicitor will need to go through is finances for you and your spouse. Check in advance what you will need to bring to your first appointment and try to bring as much as possible. In particular make sure you have your marriage certificate and as much information about your financial situation as you can gather. Let your solicitor know if you suspect your spouse is hiding assets.

3/ Help keep costs to a minimum. Think through what is really important to you and what you might be willing to compromise on. Be clear with your instructions and try not to change your mind to avoid wasted time and costs. If there are children then, unless there are welfare issues, it is better for you and your spouse to try and reach an agreement between yourselves regarding their future arrangements. This will help you save costs and hopefully allow you to co-parent more amicably even though you are separated.

4/ Be patient. A divorce can often take 6-8 months, pushing for it to go through faster can be detrimental, causing tension and conflict. If your case goes to court the timescale can be a lot longer. Try not to contact your solicitor every time you think of something, write things down and wait for a scheduled meeting/telephone call to address issues.

5/ Make sure you understand, and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’t, this is what your solicitor is there for. Be organised; read documents and letters from your solicitor carefully to make sure you have a note of dates of hearings, deadlines and have signed and returned all necessary forms and documentation.

6/ Be reasonable and realistic. Listen to the advice that your solicitor gives you. Divorce is about reaching a fair agreement for both parties. It is understandable that you may want to air grievances, but this is unlikely to affect the outcome of a divorce settlement.

The family law team at KBL Solicitors LLP have considerable experience in helping individuals in all sorts of different situations and provide sympathetic handling of each individual case. If you have any questions or would like to arrange an initial consultation please contact our family team: Jane Davison or Lucy Yates on Bolton 01204 527777 or Blackburn 01254 268790 or email jdavison@kbl.co.uk  lyates@kbl.co.uk