Keeping the cost of solicitors' advice down
Mediation is a really good way of keeping costs down while staying in control of your own decision-making. However, there can be a place for legal advice alongside mediation and our mediators can talk to you about your options for this.
In order to help people budget, Berkshire Family Mediation has come to a special arrangement with the following family law firms to provide specific pieces of work for a fixed fee, which will in almost all circumstances be significantly less than the hourly charged rate. The rates for this fixed fee scheme are given in the table below.
The following law firms can offer legal advice to clients of Berkshire Family Mediation on this special fixed fee basis:
Albin & Co, Reading - Contact details
Charles Hoile, Newbury - Contact details
Elizabeth Stocker, Setfords Solicitors, South Oxfordshire and Berkshire - Contact details
Hewetts Solicitors, Reading - Contact details
Rowberry Morris, Reading - Contact details
Rowberry Morris, Tadley - Contact details
The Head Partnership Solicitors, Henley-on-Thames - Contact details
The Head Partnership Solicitors, Reading - Contact details
The following table explains the legal service your solicitor will be able to provide for a fixed fee:
Type of legal advice provided | Fixed cost for service |
(a) For an initial meeting, when you have not met with the lawyer within the last three months, to get information from you and to advise you. | £199 plus VAT |
(b) To get further information from you and give you further advice in a meeting, when you have already met the lawyer within the last three months (there is no limit to how many of these advice meetings can take place). | £149 plus VAT |
(c) Drafting a court order to reflect the agreement reached with your spouse together with accompanying completed form D81 (a form required by the court to show your and your spouse's financial means and commitments) and pension sharing annexes (forms required by the pension company to enable them to facilitate a pension sharing order) so that it can be immediately submitted to the court for approval by a District Judge (with the addition of the court fee). | £499 plus VAT You will also need to attend an appointment with your lawyer to advise you on the terms of the agreement. Alternatively, the advice can be provided in writing for the same cost as the meeting. |
(d) Advising you on a court order which has been prepared by your spouse's lawyer. | £499 plus VAT You will also need to attend an appointment with your lawyer to advise you on the terms of the agreement. Alternatively, the advice can be provided in writing for the same cost as the meeting. |
Alternative source of legal advice
Alternatively, you can access a family lawyer and member of Resolution working through a non-traditional legal service, www.legaltips.co.uk. This service offers help with completion of legal forms; fixed-fee meetings to assist the mediation process; the review of financial information; and advice on strategy, including indicating the court's approach. Please note that, unlike the law firms above, this service does not offer representation in court or submission of court papers on your behalf.