W L
DIVORCE . DON ' T DO IT YOURSELF !
by Chris Sweetman and Peter Marples of Fair Result , a team of specialist divorce lawyers offering a new approach to achieve a fairer result for clients .
In the first of our monthly columns for Wirral Life we look at some of our recent cases where odd but important legal issues have arisen .
Often in divorce one of the biggest subjects for discussion is pensions and pension sharing orders . We hear it all the time “ I want a share of their pension ”, “ I ’ ve been with them for years and they owe me some of the pension ” - Yes that ’ s often right and very often it ’ s a large pension pot especially if it ' s a final salary public sector pension . But let ' s just look at it – is it really what you want ? You may only be midforties so can ’ t access any of the pension for years and if the worst was to happen and you don ’ t survive many years in retirement , all of the pension pot you have waited for is gone and it doesn ’ t form part of your estate to leave your children . Your pension sharing order might have looked great once but how many years do you need to survive before you get your share back . There are often other ways to divide the assets which give access to the money much sooner .
We also often get asked can I do my divorce online for free ? The answer is yes you can get a divorce online relatively cheaply and only pay the court filing fee , but this will not resolve any issues about finances , children , business valuation , pensions or inherited assets and pre-marital wealth or investments . The internet is full of great offers telling you how to divorce online very cheaply but beware of the pitfalls . Once you have got your decree absolute but have not resolved everything else you will have a devil ’ s own job trying to go back to court to sort out financial and child issues . If the financials are not sorted out before the decree absolute you could still be liable for marital debts possibly about which you were unaware and more worryingly if you won the lottery your ex could come back at you for a share of that too . Our simple advice is not DIY but DDIY don ’ t do it yourself . Get professional advice and have the peace of mind to know your lawyer will take control of all issues surrounding the divorce and if need be , will get in other experts like forensic accountants to give you all the help and advice you need . Or come to us where we have in house lawyers and accountants who can give you one stop advice for a fixed fee quoted up front which won ' t change even if your ex prevaricates for months on end .
On another note and away from divorce we have also been asked to deal with some motoring clients recently and have been to Sevenoaks in Kent to argue exceptional hardship for a lady who had got 12 points in one day going into town and out again flashing the speed cameras 4 times on the same day . At the time and unbeknown to her the husband had cancelled the insurance on her car out of spite in the divorce . Even though she walked out of court with 21 points on her licence we successfully argued she should be allowed to keep her licence . We are now representing her in her divorce . And finally as Christmas approaches do take care behind the wheel and always remember you may still be over the limit the morning after .
If we can help you with matrimonial or any other legal queries you may have please don ’ t hesitate to contact me or Peter on 07500933818 and 07979857438 or by email chris @ fair-result . co . uk and peter @ fair-result . co . uk .
30 wirrallife . com