I have just been asked by a chap whether a letter from a solicitor inviting him to enter into negotiations for a separation agreement should be ignored as he wishes to use my online divorce service to save money.
My answer has been that the opportunity to negotiate a separation agreement is to be grasped with both hands!
If the marriage is over, you have 2 options, negotiate or be sued.
If my correspondent has a very deep pocket then he might take the option of being sued but it could be an expensive one. Negotiation will, virtually always, be cheaper. I am not saying it will be cheap but, as soon as court action is initiated, it has a momentum all of it’s own and will eat up your funds.
Even worse for the chap concerned, his wife has legal aid. If he has any kind of earned income at all, he will not get legal aid and the whole costs of the process will fall on him with no chance of recovering anything even if he is “successful”.
As regards his wish to use my online service, it is designed to save money and time but only works after everything has been agreed with regard to money and children.
Anyone in this position should find a specialist solicitor and there is an easy way to locate one in Scotland using the Law Society of Scotland Find a Solicitor Service. Click the drop-down list to “find a solicitor by specialism” and then put in your own postcode. The Specialism that you are looking for is “family law”. This will bring up a list of solicitors who are recognised as being specialists.
Once everything is agreed, whether you have kids or not, I can offer a service.
The main service for those with children under 16 is at www.myscottishdivorce.co.uk
For those with no children under 16 it can be found at http://www.myscottishdivorce.co.uk/nochildrenunder16.php
Bruce de Wert
