Initial appointments

When going through family difficulties or breakdown, we believe clients need absolute clarity about where they stand and what their options are. The last thing you need is vague guidance that leaves you with more questions than answers.

Some law firms offer a ‘free consultation’ or similar, but to our mind that type of meeting won’t arm you with the detailed, tailored information that you need. It will simply provide a vague overview, scratching the surface and often leaving you requiring further paid-for appointments.

That’s why we offer two kinds of fixed fee family appointments; our comprehensive Beswicks Overview Service and a standard fixed fee consultation.

The Beswicks Overview

Our Beswicks Overview service provides comprehensive, in-depth advice, along with a full written plan detailing all of the information provided. Our Beswicks Overview consists of:

  • A first meeting with a fully qualified, experienced family solicitor where we explore the details of your case. This could be over the phone, by video call or at our office and will typically last for one-hour. We look in depth at any legal, financial, pension, property, business and child-related issues. We will lay out for you the steps in your case, the direction that your case might take, the possible and likely outcomes, any risks that you face, any options that you have, associated timings, costs and tactics. We will, of course, also answer all of your questions.
  • After the meeting, we will prepare a Moving Forward Plan for you, which confirms all of our views in writing, providing a thorough overview of where you are and where you might go. Having a tangible, comprehensive plan that you can refer to at any time is hugely valuable, especially when there is so much information to take in and remember at an already stressful time for you.

Our Beswicks Overview Service is charged at a fixed fee of £250+vat.

Standard fixed fee consultation

Our standard fixed fee family consultation is an initial appointment of up to one hour with an experienced family solicitor.

Your solicitor will examine the details of your situation and provide practical advice about your options and the best way forward, along with an idea of likely costs.

Our standard fixed fee family appointment is charged at £100+vat.

To book either a Beswicks Overview or a standard fixed fee appointment, simply contact us to select a time, date and method of meeting that works best for you. We’ll then get to work helping you to secure total clarity and a clear plan to move you forward in a positive direction. Email enquiry@beswicks.com, phone 01782 205000 or book online to arrange your appointment.

Fixed fees for uncontested ‘no fault’ divorce/dissolution

We offer fixed fees for uncontested divorces or dissolution of a Civil Partnership.

If you are issuing a divorce (the applicant) our fee will be £500+vat for a single applicant divorce and £550+vat for a joint application. In addition, there will be a court fee which is currently £593.

If you are the party against whom the divorce has been issued (the respondent), our fee will be £250+vat. In the unlikely event you wish to defend a divorce application, we will provide you an estimate for your costs.

Our tips to keep your costs down

Many of our clients have found these tips helpful:

  • Listen to the advice we give and try to follow it. Our solicitors have many years’ experience and can help you to understand what the courts will order or what your opponent might be willing to agree.
  • Be reasonable and take account of the long-term consequences of your actions and communications. Often things said or done in the heat of the moment can take many months to rectify at a greater cost to you.
  • Take time to think about what is important to you and what you might be willing to compromise about. Often arguing over unimportant items or ‘matters of principle’ can deflect attention from vital elements and lead to increased costs and delay.
  • Be organised and provide information and documents we have requested quickly. We may ask you to provide details of your finances and other background, so make sure your facts are correct and that you are prepared for any meetings to ensure we get quickly to the heart of the matter. If at any stage you are unclear about what is required, do not hesitate to ask us to clarify.
  • Respond to any requests we send to you and keep us informed. This will prevent us having to chase you, thereby increasing your costs.
  • Try wherever possible to keep things amicable and avoid using your solicitor to communicate with your opponent about day to day matters.
  • Try to see things from your opponent’s perspective. Remember that your opponent will be quick to react to any step you take; and spending heavily or moving money or assets around will cause concern and suspicion, which in turn will result in increased correspondence between solicitors or even an early application to the Court.

Following these tips will help to keep the total cost of your case under control and may actually help to achieve the result you are hoping for.

Looking for legal advice? How can we help?

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