Divorce Financial Settlements

Divorce Financial Settlements

Securing your financial future, avoiding unnecessary conflict


Once you have made the difficult decision to divorce, organising your finances with your former partner can easily become contentious and confusing. To make sure you get the right settlement for you and your loved ones, it’s essential that you seek specialist legal advice to help you achieve a positive solution.

At Thornton Jones, our family law team has extensive experience of helping people resolve the financial issues surrounding their separation and reach the agreements that work for them and for their family’s future.

We have particular expertise in dealing with complex financial situations for low, medium and high-income families. We can offer three highly effective forms of alternative dispute resolution – mediation, collaborative law and mediation – so it is very rare that court proceedings are needed to get a financial settlement when you work with our team.

Our financial settlements lawyers can deal effectively with issues including:

  • Your home
  • Second properties
  • Savings
  • Pensions
  • Shares & investments
  • Business assets
  • International assets
  • Family trusts

No matter how complex your financial situation, we can help you get a fair settlement that lets you make a clean break and move on with your life with the minimum possible stress and conflict.

Talk to us about making a financial settlement for your divorce

For expert advice on divorce financial settlements, please speak to our family lawyers in Wakefield, Ossett, Garforth, Sherburn in Elmet or Mapplewell, West Yorkshire today.

Have a quick question or want to request a call back? Use our online enquiry form.

How our divorce solicitors can help you to make a fair financial settlement

Divorce Mediation

Mediation is a popular and cost-effective alternative to court proceedings which concentrates on opening up a dialogue to resolve any potential disputes. You will usually need to at least consider mediation before you can take your divorce through a court.

During mediation, you and your former partner will meet with one of our trained mediators who will act as a neutral third-party to help you agree the details of your financial settlement. The mediator’s role is to keep the process productive, defuse conflict and advise on any points of law. They will not tell you what settlement you should make – that decision remains in your hands.

Mediation offers a fast, cost-effective and amicable way to deal with divorce and financial settlements, as well as keeping the details of your settlement private. Any agreement you make through mediation will be voluntary, but can be made legally binding by applying to a court for a Consent Order.

Find out more about our divorce mediation services.

Collaborative law

Collaborative law can be a good choice where there are more complex issues to deal with and you would prefer to have your own lawyer in the room with you to advise and represent you.

The process involves a series of four-way ‘round the table’ meetings between you, your former partner and your respective lawyers (who must be trained collaborative lawyers). You will work together to negotiate a voluntary settlement for your divorce.

You can also have other professional experts, such as accountants and financial advisers, sit in on your collaborative law sessions, allowing you to call on their expertise.

Find out more about our collaborative law services.

Family arbitration

If you cannot agree a settlement with your former spouse, but would still prefer to avoid court proceedings, arbitration can be an attractive option. Thornton Jones is one of the only firms in the region offering this highly effective form of alternative dispute resolution.

Our trained arbitrator, Clare Thornton, can review your assets and respective needs, then decide on a fair settlement for you. Both parties will need to agree to abide by the decision of the arbitrator at the start of the process.

While arbitration puts the decision about your financial settlement into the hands of a third party, it is usually much faster, less costly and less acrimonious than court proceedings. It also allows the matter to remain private, unlike divorce court, which is held in public.

Find out more about our family arbitration services.

Applying for a financial order

In those rare cases where court action is required to achieve a settlement, we will advise you on the legal process and likely costs involved, then work with you to make sure you have the best possible representation for your hearing.

Our divorce financial settlement fees

Fixed fees

We are able to offer fixed fees for some matters – such as individual sessions of mediation or applying for a consent order – giving you certainty over the costs involved in making a financial settlement.

Hourly rates

Where you need ongoing legal support, we will charge a set hourly rate of between £100-£250+VAT based on the level of legal expertise required to deal effectively with your requirements.

Find out more about our fees and funding options.

Why choose Thornton Jones for making a financial settlement on divorce?

With decades of experience and a high level of specialist expertise and training, we can offer a range of skills for dealing with divorce financial settlements that most other law firms in the region simply cannot match.

Our family law team includes four members of family law network Resolution – Steven Eldridge, Shelley WalesAmanda Gait and Clare Thornton. Resolution members make a commitment to removing conflict from divorce and family law, so this reflects our expertise in taking a non-confrontational approach to divorce.

Steven Eldridge is the only family lawyer in Wakefield accredited by Resolution as a specialist in complex financial provision. As such, he can offer the highest levels of expertise for dealing with the financial complexities associated with divorce or separation – particularly when business interests, pensions and trusts are involved.

Hannah Bowes, Shelley Wales and Clare Thornton are all Resolution accredited mediators, with Clare also being a trained collaborative lawyer and one of only a handful of family arbitrators in the country. This means that, whatever your circumstances, we can usually find a non-confrontational way to deal with your divorce that works for you.

We are accredited by the Law Society for our expertise in Family Law, providing further assurance that the quality of our services has been independently assessed. We also hold Law Society accreditations in Wills & Inheritance Quality and Conveyancing Quality, two areas that often come into play when making a financial settlement following divorce.

Contact our financial settlements lawyers in West Yorkshire

To arrange an initial consultation about making a financial settlement with our divorce lawyers, please contact our local offices in Wakefield, Ossett, Garforth, Sherburn in Elmet or Mapplewell, West Yorkshire today.

Have a quick question or want to request a call back? Use our online enquiry form.

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