Put simply, the general rule is that each person getting divorced will pay their own legal fees, and the person applying for the divorce will be responsible for covering Court Fees and other costs. However, in some circ*mstances it may be possible for them to recover these costs from the other person.
Who Is Responsible for Covering Court Fees?
The spouse or civil partner who applies for the divorce is known as the Petitioner and the other person is the Respondent. As they are the person applying for the divorce, the Petitioner will from the outset be responsible for the cost of the divorce.
Petitioner vs Respondent fees
So, on average, generally the Petitioner’s costs will be higher than the Respondent’s. The Petitioner is responsible for covering the cost of the preparation and submission of the divorce paperwork, together with obtaining legal advice and paying the Court fees. The Respondent will only be responsible for covering their own legal fees.
Petitioner’s claim for costs against the Respondent
In many cases however, particularly where there is blame to be attributed to the Respondent for the breakdown of the marriage, the Petitioner may feel aggrieved at having to pay the legal costs and will instead seek for the Respondent to do so. Divorce law within England and Wales accommodates this, provided the Petition is based upon the Respondent’s adultery or unreasonable behaviour, and allows the Petitioner to make a claim for costs against the Respondent. Should the divorce be successful, then at Decree Nisi stage the Respondent can be ordered to pay the Petitioner’s costs.
How to Claim for Divorce Costs?
In the event the Petitioner does wish to apply for costs against the Respondent, then best practice is to reach an agreement with the Respondent on costs before the divorce petition is issued. This can reduce the likelihood of the respondent challenging the divorce over the issue of costs.
What happens if divorce costs are agreed upon?
It is therefore advisable to agree divorce costs with the respondent from the outset, and agree this in writing, before issuing the divorce petition. If costs can be agreed at the outset, then at Decree Nisi stage a ‘Costs Order’ can be made by the Court, allowing costs to be dealt with on an amicable basis without the need for further Court hearings or disputes.
What happens if divorce costs cannot be agreed upon?
If costs cannot be agreed upon, but the Petitioner decides to submit the divorce petition nonetheless, the Court may be called upon to deal with any dispute over costs. In this situation, both people may need to attend a hearing for the Court to determine the issue.
The Court will consider if the costs claimed are reasonable, bearing in mind the experience of the representing Solicitor, their hourly rate, and the amount of work undertaken. If both of the people getting divorced are represented by Solicitors at a costs hearing, then those costs can also be included (thus increasing the costs further).
The Court has a wide range of powers and discretion in relation to awarding costs and will not only look at the Solicitors’ fees, but also the conduct of both people in deciding whether costs should be awarded and at what level.
Once the Court has granted a Costs Order, the Respondent is under a legal obligation to pay these. Failure to do so could result in enforcement action being taken, which can increase the costs further. The danger, of course, is that the amount of legal work in dealing with contested costs can in fact outweigh the cost of the divorce itself. It is therefore important to ensure that the benefits outweigh the costs and, wherever possible, it is strongly advised to try and reach an agreement on costs before issuing divorce proceedings.
If you are considering getting divorced and don’t know where to begin, why not contact one of Alexander JLO’s expert divorce lawyers for a free no obligation consultation and see what we can do for you?
