London is the most expensive place to get divorced, with solicitors’ fees hitting an average cost of £350.50 an hour, or £2,453.50 in total, according to new research.
Cardiff is the second priciest place with hourly costs at £262, followed by Bournemouth at £252.25, and Newcastle at £252.
This is a rise of 23% in the past year despite the number of divorces falling by 2% to 128,000.
Rising divorce costs
In the top 10 list of most expensive places to get divorced there are five cities in the south of England, including Brighton and Bristol with a cost of £238 and £225 respectively.
There were also five in the north of England and the Midlands, including Birmingham, York and Leeds.
Of these cities the average overall cost for an uncontested divorce is £252.48 per hour and a total of £1,767.33, according to the research by DivorceDepot.co.uk.
But some of the most expensive solicitors can charge up to £1,000 an hour to complete these documents.
This research was compiled by looking at 1,000 divorces and the amount of hours spent on each, and the price of 20 solicitors’ fees in each city.
The most expensive cities to split
|
Rank |
City |
Average rate per hour |
Total cost |
|
1 |
London |
£350.50 |
£2,453.50 |
|
2 |
Cardiff |
£262 |
£1,834 |
|
3 |
Bournemouth |
£252.25 |
£1,765.75 |
|
4 |
Newcastle |
£252 |
£1,764 |
|
5 |
Birmingham |
£247.50 |
£1,732.50 |
|
6 |
Manchester |
£242 |
£1,694 |
|
7 |
Brighton |
£238 |
£1,666 |
|
8 |
York |
£228 |
£1,596 |
|
9 |
Leeds |
£227.50 |
£1,592.50 |
|
10 |
Bristol |
£225 |
£1,575 |
Legal Aid
Legal Aid exists to help pay for legal advice, family mediation and representation in court. It can be applied to a host of different issues such as housing, debt or divorce.
To be eligible for Legal Aid you need to show you can’t afford to pay for legal costs on your own and you’ll need to supply details of your income, benefits and property.
Changes which came into force this year mean around 200,000 people are now not able to benefit from this aid. You can find out if you're entitled to help on the Gov.co.uk website. There is also free advice and information available from the Law Centres Network, Citizens Advice and AdviceNow.
How to cut the cost of a divorce
One alternative is a DIY divorce, which is one of the cheapest ways to go through this process. There are several online companies which guide you through the process and give you the information you need to settle your assets for a flat-rate fee.
DivorceDepot is one such company, and charges £49 for a divorce (not including court fees). The Co-operative offers a similar service for around £110 plus additional court costs of £410.
This is significantly cheaper than going through a solicitor but is only really suitable for those with a straightforward divorce. Our article – How to get divorced cheaply – has more information on other options.