Most articles about the latest trends in divorce and financial remedy proceedings are penned by the most experienced of solicitors and barristers. They usually tell you about the dos and don’ts about PNAs, they warn you how to avoid bad settlements or the latest legal developments.
But I am neither a solicitor nor a barrister – I work as a paralegal. I am the silent person that types up meeting notes, files your emails and prepares the documents that will go in front of a judge or the opposing legal team.
In the last nine months as a paralegal, I have interacted, albeit in the background, with sadly, plenty of people who are getting divorced, and I have just a few observations. First, despite who first fires the first shot, both parties are in for an emotional roller coaster ride. Second, many are unprepared for the costs. Third, everyone lacks an understanding of the process.
I am sympathetic, now more than ever, to those undergoing the financial separation stage. This stage is a behemoth compared to the box ticking exercise that is the divorce paperwork. In my experience as someone who is unqualified and unmarried, my unsolicited advice would be this:
1. ensure that you are well-supported, by friends and/or someone specialising in divorce support;
2. full financial disclosure is the best disclosure – unless you want to spend thousands of pounds on unnecessary correspondence; and
3. do not underestimate the use of pragmatic specialists
Not every divorce is complicated but for the ones that are, advice is essential. Advice should be tailored and specific to your situation, because just like marriages, not all divorces are the same. The more complex financial separation, the more imperative it is to get advice on how you can leave your marriage on the most appropriate terms. At BloomBudd, each solicitor is aware of the twists and turns that you may face, and they endeavour to provide advice that is balanced. Divorce, and specifically, financial separation, can often feel like you have been unwillingly strapped onto a roller coaster ride, but it doesn’t have to. As a cog in this larger machine, I can confidently conclude that good advice, when acted upon, can be profoundly empowering. It has been an unexpected pleasure of working in this sector of the law, to watch people emerge from the process, with new found confidence.