Christelle Thompson Solicitors Near Me

How Much Does A Divorce Cost UK?

UK divorce costs and process – How Much Does A Divorce Cost UK?

If you are ending your marriage and you wish to divorce your spouse, you may be concerned about the possible costs. We take a look at the process and answer the question, ‘How much does a divorce cost?’

At Solicitors Near Me, we specialise in connecting people with the legal representation they need. We have a range of hand-picked family lawyers who can provide the level of help and support you need as you navigate this potentially difficult stage of life.

We make sure that the divorce solicitors we recommend will provide an outstanding level of service as well as the legal expertise to ensure that your divorce is dealt with promptly and efficiently. They will be able to offer a full service, dealing with related issues such as the sharing of property, financial settlements and arrangements for children where necessary.

If you need to speak with a specialist divorce solicitor, please either call us now on 0845 1391399 or complete a Free Online Enquiry.

The Divorce Process

The legal ending of a marriage is a relatively straightforward process, however it is important to speak to a solicitor before completing a divorce as it is usually recommended that you resolve other matters before your divorce is finalised.

By way of example, you will need to put a financial agreement in place setting out how your assets and liabilities will be shared between you. Without this, your spouse could come back to you in the future and make a claim. This is because marriage is a financial responsibility for life to your spouse and this does not end on divorce. The only way it can be ended is by an order of the court.

Once you have dealt with other issues and you are ready to divorce, either you or your spouse can apply to the court, stating that your marriage has irretrievably broken down. You also have the option to make a joint statement to this effect if you would like to apply together.

This is a fairly new process and aims to eliminate the blame that was sometimes apportioned in divorce cases in the past when allegations of unreasonable behaviour and adultery were sometimes needed to demonstrate irretrievable breakdown.

The new law means that this is no longer necessary. In addition, there is no longer any option to contest a divorce.

Once the statement has been lodged with the court, there is a twenty-week cooling off period. After this has passed, a conditional order is granted by the court. There is a further six-week wait, then a final order can be requested. Once this has been issued, the divorce is complete.

How Much Does A Divorce Cost UK?

When the application for a divorce is sent to the court, you will also need to send the court fee of £593.

Your solicitor will be able to let you know how much their fees are if they will be applying on your behalf and if they will be dealing with any other matters.

What Other Issues Need To Be Dealt With On Divorce?

Other matters that need to be dealt with include sharing property and other assets and arrangements for children.

Financial Arrangements On Divorce

Your solicitor will be able to work with you to try and negotiate a financial settlement. You will need to disclose all of your assets to each other and decide who will have what. If you own a property, one of you could retain this and the other one could receive a larger share of other assets such as investments or pension provision.

Alternatively, the property could be sold once any children living there have grown up and the proceeds shared. If you do not have children, then the property could be sold at this stage.

If you cannot reach an agreement on how your finances will be dealt with, your family law solicitor will refer you to mediation. A trained mediator will explain your options to you both and try and help you work together to find a solution.

If you are able to agree on the division of your assets, your solicitor will put this into a draft consent order and ask the court to seal it. This will make it legally binding and it is unlikely that your spouse will be able to come back to you in the future to make a financial claim.

Where you have not been able to agree on financial matters, your solicitor will prepare a case for court.

The court fee for an application for a consent order is £53.

Application for a financial order where consent has not been given is £275.

Depending on how easy it is to resolve matters, your solicitor may be able to deal with issues within a few hours. If your case requires more work, then they will discuss with you the likely level of their fees and make sure you are aware of these before they incur costs.

Arrangements For Children

You will also need to make arrangements regarding your children if you have any. This will cover issues such as who they will live with, how much time they will spend with each parent and who else they will see.

It is preferable to make these decisions with your children’s other parent wherever possible. If you cannot agree, then you are required by law to consider mediation, except in cases of domestic violence.

If you decide to try mediation, the mediator will talk through potential solutions with you and see if you can agree on the arrangements to be made. You do not have to go to mediation, but you do have to attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting at which a mediator will explain the process to you and you will also have the opportunity to explain your situation to them.

Where mediation is not attempted or is not successful, you can ask the court to make arrangements. This is likely to take substantially longer and you run the risk that a decision will be imposed on you that you would not have chosen. With mediation, you will agree on the outcome.

The court fee for making an application for a child arrangements order is £232.

The Total Cost Of Divorce UK

Depending on your situation, you may need to pay for advice and representation for financial matters and arrangements for children as well as the divorce itself.

Our solicitors will all make sure you are clear about the level of costs from the outset so that you can budget accordingly. If your situation is straightforward, then a divorce need not be expensive.

If you would like to know the likely costs, simply give us a ring and let us put you in touch with the right family lawyer for your situation. You can have an initial conversation with them, discuss their fees and decide whether they are the right fit.

Find A Divorce Solicitor Near You

To be connected to a specialist solicitor near to where you live or work, please either call us now on 0845 1391399 or complete a Free Online Enquiry.

How Much Do Solicitors Earn UK?

Solicitors’ Incomes UK: How Much Do Solicitors Earn UK?

If you have ever been represented by a solicitor or you are thinking of joining the profession, you may be wondering about salary levels. We take a look at the steps to becoming a solicitor and answer the question, ‘How much do solicitors earn UK?’

What Is A Solicitor’s Income Based Upon?

The amount solicitors earn varies widely, depending on several factors. These include:

The level of experience they have
The area of law that they specialist in
Location
What type of law firm or whether a solicitor is working in-house
The size of law firm or business
Position held, such as newly qualified solicitor, solicitor, associate, partner or equity partner

If you need to speak with a specialist solicitor, please either call us now on 0845 1391399 or complete a Free Online Enquiry.

Level Of Experience

The most common route to becoming a solicitor involves obtaining a law degree and then doing a Legal Practice Course. After this, a trainee solicitor will join a law firm on a two-year training contract. During this time, a trainee will usually have four six-month ‘seats’ in different departments to give them the widest possible experience.

This will give them a chance to try out several areas of law to see which is the best fit and also gives the law firm the chance to assess them in different positions.

The amount paid to a trainee solicitor during these two years will depend on the size and type of the business, whether it is a law firm, public sector employer or other business. Salaries will also tend to be higher in London.

The solicitors’ governing body, The Law Society, recommends that those providing training contracts should pay a minimum of £23,703 per annum for trainees in London and £21,024 outside of London. Major law firms in London often pay more than six figure starting salaries!

Practice Area

Once a solicitor has qualified, their chosen practice area can make a big difference to the salary they will receive. Corporate and commercial lawyers often make over £100,000 per year.

The lowest-paid areas include personal injury, immigration and family law. Estimates vary, but a personal injury solicitor could be paid £38,000 – £43,000 per annum, an immigration solicitor £34,000 – £52,000 and a family lawyer £40,000 – £50,000.

Criminal solicitors earn around £52,500 in London and £32,000-£42,000 elsewhere.

These are only averages, so some solicitors will earn a lot less than these amounts and some a lot more.

Location

Location can make a big difference, not just because of larger fees in wealthier areas of the country, but also because there will be more work available in busy places. A city firm that attracts a large amount of work could provide a large number of working hours for each of its solicitors, while a rural practice could have a much slower pace and consequently lower salaries.

Law Firm Or In-House?

In-house lawyers who work for businesses rather than for law firms can earn excellent salaries. The Office for National Statistics said that in 2016, in-house lawyers were the six-highest earning profession in the UK. The average salary was just over £80,000 per year. The bottom tenth percentile were on just over £36,600 while the top 75th percentile were on nearly £94,500.

Senior in-house lawyers were earning around £165,000 at this time and it is often seen as a slightly gentler pace than being a partner in a major law firm where pressure can be substantial.

Organisation Size

The size of the law firm or business can make a substantial difference to the level of work a solicitor takes on as well as the salary they are paid.

A small law firm will tend to take on smaller jobs for smaller clients and not have access to the large sums paid by big corporations. Similarly, smaller businesses will not necessarily need the level of expertise of large companies and so in-house counsel will be paid a lower amount.

The largest London law firms have the power to pay huge salaries of several hundred thousand pounds upwards.

How Much Do Solicitors Earn UK Depending On Position Held?

After a trainee solicitor qualifies and becomes a newly qualified solicitor, they can work to advance their position over the coming years. The next step is generally to become an associate solicitor, then a partner, then an equity partner.

Newly qualified solicitors earn around £28,000 – £61,000 outside of London, with those in London earning more, depending on the size of the firm. So-called Magic Circle firms, the largest five law firms, pay newly qualified solicitors between £107,000 and £125,000.

The Law Society figures for average solicitor salaries in 2018 are:

Greater London £88,000
South £56,000
Midlands and Wales £46,000
North £43,000

Around half received a bonus of between £5,000 and £10,000.

The next stage for an associate solicitor is becoming a salaried partner. The average countrywide salary according to Law Society figures is £75,000, although this varies widely depending on the firm and location.

Finally, buying into a law firm and becoming an equity partner is likely to increase income substantially. While the Law Society’s average countrywide figure is £130,000, those at large City firms are earning between £1m and £2m each year.

In London, it is estimated that 75% of partners earn over £250,000. Average total pay is around £600,000. The top 17% earned over £1m and the top 2% took home over £2m.

Equity partners’ income is based on a share of their law firm’s profits and can also be based on a lockstep agreement giving a larger share to partners who have worked there the longest.

Contact local solicitors

At Solicitors Near Me, we have a range of hand-picked solicitors who deal with a full range of legal issues. If you need help from a lawyer, we can match you with an expert with the right level of legal expertise for your needs.

Find A Solicitor Near You

To be connected to a specialist solicitor near to where you live or work, please either call us now on 0845 1391399 or complete a Free Online Enquiry.

Can You Be Taken To Court For Not Working Notice?

Can you be taken to court for not working notice?

It’s a question that people often ask – but can you really be taken to court if you don’t work your notice in the UK?

Well, yes.

If you leave without working your notice period, you may be in breach of your employment contract and your employer could make a claim against you if they incur additional costs as a result.

If you need to speak with a specialist employment solicitor, please either call us now on 0845 1391399 or complete a Free Online Enquiry.

Taken To Court For Not Working Notice UK

First things first, you need to consider all of your options when you’re leaving your role.

If you’re unable to work your notice period, whatever the reason might be, you should discuss this with your employer and explain the situation. It might be that they are willing to waive your notice period and release you from your contract early and it might give them time to sort out a short-term replacement.

Of course, they might not be willing to do this, and you should be aware that your employer has no obligation to let you leave without working your notice period.

Every employment contract will include details on your notice period. It might be one week, two weeks, four weeks, or in some cases, it could even be as long as three months.

It’s designed to protect both you as an employee and your employer – for example, if you were made redundant or sacked, you’d receive your notice period (and pay), which would help give you time to find a new role.

And on the flip side, if you resign, your notice period provides your employer with the time to find a replacement or at least cover your tasks, duties, and ongoing projects.

Do I Need To Work My Notice Period?

Unless you can come to an agreement with your employer, yes.

When you sign your employment contract, you’re bound to certain legal requirements, as is your employer. One of those is working your notice period, which you’ll be paid for as usual.

You have specific legal rights as an employee in the UK, but you also have legal responsibilities which you can’t renege on. If you’d like a shorter notice period, whatever the reason, you should approach your employer to see if that would be something they could agree to.

The circumstances around you leaving your role will also play a part in whether your employer takes legal action against you.

For example, if you leave your role without working your notice period and begin working for a competitor while you were supposed to be within your notice period, your employer will most likely seek legal action.

In fact, they could even seek an injunction if they can prove you have left to join a competitor or if they have reason to believe that you’re putting their business interests at risk by disclosing confidential or sensitive information.

While you can’t be stopped from leaving without working your notice period, there are consequences. Your employer will likely sue you for breach of contract, depending on how much it has impacted them and the circumstances around it.

Legal Advice I’ve Not Worked My Notice Period

If you’ve not worked your notice period and your employer is considering legal action, it can be a tense and unnerving time.

But at Solicitors Near Me, we understand the importance of finding expert legal advice from a solicitor near you as soon as possible.

Your case will be unique to you and the circumstances around it will determine what action your employer might take and what options you have.

If you’re considering leaving your role without working your notice, you should speak to a legal expert before making any decisions to see if there’s a better way to approach things.

We’ll connect you with an expert employment solicitor near you for FREE so that you can decide if you want to proceed with your case.

All you need to do to get going is click the link below…

Find An Employment Solicitor Now

To be connected to a specialist solicitor near to where you live or work, please either call us now on 0845 1391399 or complete a Free Online Enquiry.

Employee Discrimination Lawyers

Employee discrimination lawyers are adept at assisting with crucial and timely legal advice for any issues relating to discrimination.

Even though dealing with workplace discrimination can be quite challenging, it’s vital to understand that there are special employment rules in place for just this situation.

If you need to speak with a specialist employment solicitor, please either call us now on 0845 1391399 or complete a Free Online Enquiry.

Discrimination doesn’t always happen as you’d expect. There are various forms but there are also specific protected characteristics, such as:

Pregnancy and Maternity
Marriage and Civil Partnership
Religion and beliefs
Sexual orientation
Age
Race
Sexual Orientation
Gender Reassignment
Disability

And it’s not just at work that you’re protected from discrimination, either.

You’re also protected as a consumer, when using public services, when buying, renting, or selling property, when you’re a member or guest of a private club or association, in education, and in a variety of other circumstances.

For these purposes, we’ll be focusing on employee discrimination, though.

Employee Discrimination Lawyers – How Can They Help?

Lawyers for employee discrimination specialise in employment law, so when it comes to legal advice, there’s nobody better place to help you with your case.

If discrimination against you has occurred in the workplace or in a work environment/context, then you may wish to escalate the situation.

Of course, the first step should be to raise a grievance with your employer to see if there’s any action that can be taken. If you’re not satisfied with the outcome of that grievance, you can raise a formal grievance and seek legal advice.

There is a process that all companies should adhere to once you file a formal grievance due to discrimination.

Although most companies should have their own grievance system in place, Acas establishes a code of practice. This should be in writing, meet Acas guidelines, and be simple for anyone to find (or made available to you).

A thorough investigation is required to ensure that all relevant information is presented, and employers are permitted to invite a pertinent party to a grievance meeting. This party could be a legal representative, a union representative, or a representative of the Citizen’s Advice Bureau.

The employee must be allowed to appeal against the decision and any actions resulting from the grievance meeting should be implemented as soon as possible.

It’s important to remember that any complaints should be made as soon as possible, especially if they involve discrimination, which is a sensitive and serious issue.

The grievance process then works as follows:

An informal grievance is raised by you with your employer
If you can’t resolve the issue without formal action, you should write to your employer and tell them that you’ll be raising a formal grievance (you should include details on your reasons for doing so)
A grievance meeting will then take place once all the evidence has been collected and your employer’s investigation has finished
Your employer will reach a decision and you will be able to appeal it if you disagree
If after appeal you still haven’t reached the desired outcome, you can then take the case to an employment tribunal

If you do decide you wish to take the case further, you should speak to a legal expert to see whether it’s in your best interests and how you should approach the situation.

Employee Discrimination Solicitors Near Me

At Solicitors Near Me, we understand that discrimination at work is an incredibly tricky thing to deal with, no matter how you look at it.

Which is why we’re here to simplify the process of finding an expert solicitor near you.

We connect you with expert employment discrimination solicitors near you for FREE so that you can get the help and advice you need, no matter what your situation is.

You’re under no obligation to press ahead with the solicitor we connect you with and until you decide to proceed, you won’t pay a penny.

Find An Employment Solicitor Now

To be connected to a specialist solicitor near to where you live or work, please either call us now on 0845 1391399 or complete a Free Online Enquiry.

Specialist Employment Lawyers

Specialist employment lawyers can assist with a variety of legal matters relating to employment law.

There are many reasons why you might need specialist employment advice, whether it relates to harassment at work, redundancy, unfair dismissal, or a range of issues.

And at Solicitors Near Me, we understand the importance of finding expert employment advice quickly so that you can get the legal support you need.

Whatever your issue, we’re here to help.

If you need to speak with a specialist employment solicitor, please either call us now on 0845 1391399 or complete a Free Online Enquiry.

Employment Specialist Lawyers – What Can They Assist With?

Well, pretty much anything to do with employment law.

Lawyers tend to specialise in one area of law to become an expert in that area, and employment lawyers have one of the widest remits in any area of law.

For example, an employment lawyer will be able to assist with a variety of legal issues, including:

Redundancy
Parental, compassionate, and medical leave
Unfair dismissal
Discrimination
Harassment
Wrongful dismissal
Discrimination
Harassment
Minimum wage disputes
Overtime disputes

And if you’re not sure whether your situation falls into the category of needing employment advice, it doesn’t hurt to have a chat.

In fact, at Solicitors Near Me, we offer a FREE employment law consultation.

Really.

Because we don’t charge for our services. Now, that’s based on the fact that we started Solicitors Near Me to solve the problem of people not being able to find expert legal advice near to them.
So, we’ve solved that problem and we don’t believe you should be charged for it – no strings attached.

I’m Not Sure If I Need Employment Advice, What Should I Do?

We understand that the legal process seems overwhelming at first…

But that’s where we can help.

There are a variety of situations that might require legal advice, whether because you feel that you’ve been unfairly dismissed, you’ve been harassed in the workplace, or any of the below reasons:

Disciplinary action and grievances
Settlement agreements and advice
Contract disputes
Discrimination and harassment
Equal pay
Whistleblowing
Maternity and paternity rights
Minimum wage and pay disputes
Employment tribunal claims

We understand that one of the main concerns people have is not knowing what to do when a situation arises at work.

It’s perfectly understandable – most people don’t have much involvement with solicitors and legal matters outside of moving home or divorce proceedings (if that occurs), so it’s unfamiliar territory.

But our ethos is all around connecting you with specialist employment solicitors and making the process as simple as possible for you.

After all, legal matters don’t need to be complicated – that’s why expert solicitors are on hand!

Specialist Employment Lawyer Near Me

At Solicitors Near Me, we connect you with specialist employment lawyers near you.

Whatever your situation, we’re here to help.

And the best part? Our service is completely FREE.

Yep, we’ll connect you with an expert employment lawyer near to where you work or live for free, and you won’t pay anything until you decide to proceed with one of our lawyers.

We do this because we think you deserve to be able to find the right legal advice for you, and that’s not always an easy task.

So, to get started, just click below…

Find An Employment Solicitor Now

To be connected to a specialist solicitor near to where you live or work, please either call us now on 0845 1391399 or complete a Free Online Enquiry.