Solicitors vs Divorce Companies: What’s the Difference When Getting a Divorce?

Solicitors vs Divorce Companies

When it comes to navigating a divorce in the UK, you have two main options to get legal assistance: hiring a solicitor or using a divorce company. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and understanding the differences will help you make an informed choice about which route is best for your situation.

This article will compare the two, examining their services, costs, and suitability to help you decide whether to hire a solicitor or use a divorce company.

As the founder of a divorce company, I will try to keep things a neutral as possible.

1. What Is a Solicitor?

A solicitor is a qualified legal professional who provides advice and can represent you during your divorce or financial order. Solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and are required to follow strict ethical and professional standards.

Services provided by solicitors:

• Independent legal advice - this can involve explaining the process, informing you what you are entitled to from the assets and guide you with a strategy.

• Representation in court (if necessary).

• Help with drafting legal documentation such as the divorce application and financial agreements.

• Negotiation and mediation services to reach a settlement.

  
  

2. What Is a Divorce Company?

A divorce company is a service provider that offers legal assistance with divorce and consent order applications, often in less complicated matters in a cost-effective manner. Divorce companies typically provide online platforms or over-the-phone services where you can manage your divorce paperwork and get advice and support on your divorce journey.

Services provided by divorce companies:

• Online tools for completing divorce applications and forms (such as the divorce petition and financial agreements).

• General advice and guidance about the divorce process, amicable strategy.

• Access to trained advisors, not necessarily qualified solicitors.

• Help with drafting legal documentation such as the divorce application and financial agreements.

  
  

3. Key Differences Between Solicitors and Divorce Companies

a) Legal Advice

Solicitors are qualified to be able to provide official legal advice. Whilst divorce companies can give advice, it is not official legal advice unless it comes from a qualified solicitor. You will probably find that the level of advice will be very similar from both sources however as the divorce process is somewhat standardised.

If you have have a contested financial situation where you cannot agree on how to split your assets then you should get advice from a solicitor so that you know you exactly what you are entitled to and should expect from the assets. Divorce companies typically only deal with amicable financial matters or minor disputes.

It is common (and recommended) to get initial legal advice from a solicitor and then source what you need from a cheaper place such as a divorce company as often divorce cases are not complicated and financial matters are amicable.

b) Representation and Negotiations

Solicitors can represent you in court if required but a divorce company is not qualified to do this. Representation is a specific service that can only be provided by a qualified solicitor.

Whilst this is the case, the reality is that court appearances are practically non-existent in a divorce case. Hearings can be required in a contested financial order case if the parties just cannot agree.

Solicitors would be the better option if you needed in depth negotiations. This is because a solicitor's job is to get the best settlement possible for you and act in your best interest even though this racks up a large bill. Divorce companies do not have this level of duty of care as they are not regulated by the SRA. Some divorce companies offer cheaper negotiations for those who are already in a position to reach agreement but just need a little bit of guidance.

c) Communication and Quality

This is a more difficult thing to differentiate as I have heard of varied experiences from both avenues. When it comes to response time, I have heard of solicitors taking a week or two to respond to queries or sometimes just ignoring clients completely. I have also heard of divorce companies being so busy that it is hard to get things to move along.

It is also something to note that solicitors typically have secretaries so you rare get to speak with the actual solicitor without incurring a charge. On the other hand divorce companies typically have a similar structure where you have a sales team, advisors and then paralegals so it can feel like you are being passed around.

The quality of work is also a bit difficult to differentiate as you would assume a solicitor would obviously provide better quality work. Again I have seen varied results from a solicitor's consent order riddled with mistakes to a divorce company's consent order which has clearly not been drafted by someone with any legal experience.

Another factor to consider is that divorce companies specialise in divorce and consent orders only and have a much higher volume than solicitors for this specific task. This means they have a lot more drafting experience collectively so can get things done faster and cheaper.

From my personal experience, I have seen clients who are so fed up with the run around and cost of solicitors that they come to us to simply get things done. I have also seen divorce companies take on too many clients than they can handle and start to develop a chaotic and disorganised backlog which is just unacceptable.

d) Cost

Solicitors typically charge an hourly rate, which can range from £150 to £500 or more per hour. While some solicitors offer fixed-fee packages for specific services (e.g., drafting a consent order), contested divorces can be expensive due to the hours of work involved, including negotiations and court appearances. The costs of hiring a solicitor to help you in a divorce can be astronomical, tens of thousands. People on low incomes simply cannot afford this.

Divorce companies offer more affordable fixed fee packages, typically starting at around £200 to £600, depending on the services you need. Many divorce companies have transparent pricing structures, which may be appealing for those looking for a more cost-effective solution. To benefit from a divorce company and their lower prices, you typically need to be reasonably amicable or in agreement with your finances.

4. Which Option Is Best for You?

Choosing between a solicitor and a divorce company depends on the complexity of your divorce and your budget. Some just like to have peace of mind that they are doing things in the most official way.

When a Solicitor is the Better Choice:

• Contested financial arrangements, when you just cannot agree.

• If you need legal representation in court (for contested financial matters typically).

• If you want official independent legal advice.

• You don't like money (OK, I had to have a dig somewhere)

  
  

When a Divorce Company is the Better Choice:

• If you and your ex-partner agree on the division of assets and finances.

• If you don’t require face-to-face advice.

• If you’re on a tight budget.

  
  

The Hybrid Approach: Using Both:

Some people choose a hybrid approach, using a divorce company for straightforward aspects of the divorce and consulting a solicitor for more complex issues. For example, you might use a divorce company to file the divorce and consent order applications and then consult a solicitor for advice along the way.

Summary

To be perfectly honest, if your divorce and financial situation is reasonably amicable, there is no real reason to need a solicitor. Most people already know exactly what they want from the situation and just need it drafting up. A divorce company is your best friend here as they are designed to deal with your exact situation.

Not everyone is as fortunate though, when people are being difficult, not cooperating or you just cannot agree on the split of your assets, solicitors really are the only way to go. They are qualified and regulated so you can trust them to handle the situation in the way that it should be handled whilst acting in your best interest. Most divorce companies will not and cannot help in contested matters.

In practice, the advice and level of service is going to be similar so it all comes down to cost. Do you want to spend £20,000 or £1500 to get the same piece of paper?

As an additional note, whilst I have tried to remain neutral in this discussion, I want to specifically separate us (Clean Break Divorce) apart from a typical divorce company. After working in a divorce company, I specifically set up this business to tackle all of the issues I saw clients face from the delivery of that business style.

• We provide a dedicated case manager so clients are never passed around.

• we don't take on high volumes of clients and never sacrifice service speed or quality.

• Whilst we are not qualified solicitors, every legal advisor must have a minimum of a law degree.

• We have no sales team! Only legal advisors.

Thanks for reading.

Written by Aaron O'Toole, MSc in Law and Business

Clean Break Divorce