Appoint in haste - repent at leisure

Getting divorced is an expensive business, not least because you could end up "re-allocating" half your financial assets. Many couples fight shy of hiring the services of a top matrimonial firm in a bid to keep down their costs, but, as I detailed in an earlier blog, this can be false economy. A "cheap" lawyer may hand you a bill that is significantly less than one you could expect from a firm like ours, but they might also fail to secure you as large a settlement.

I gave as an example a man who came to see me to check that the arrangement he'd agreed with his ex-wife, courtesy of an inexpensive law firm, was sound. I discovered that although he'd saved a whopping £15,000 on his legal bill compared to the costs he would have incurred from us, he'd also shelled out to his former spouse £400,000 more than he needed to have done.

Consulting a non-specialist solicitor may not only be false economy, it can also create false expectation. Our firm never attempts to guess what a client may receive in the way of a financial settlement, because to do so can raise people's hopes unrealistically. We do not ever predict an outcome figure, until we know and can work out the calculations using accurate figures.

So, if you've recently paid a visit to a high street practice and been told you stand a good chance of getting £x or £y, be very suspicious. I have heard of several people who have gone through the divorce process planning how they will spend the mini-fortune their lawyer has led them to expect, only to come out of court with a fraction of that amount.

Hopefully, this is the only time you will get divorced – so it's important you choose you legal adviser very carefully. Your future lifestyle and the arrangements made for your children may depend upon it.

If that means waiting a couple of weeks for an initial appointment with a top-rate matrimonial lawyer, it is certainly worth it. Some firms might offer you a meeting the next day, but if you've been married for two decades, why try to rush a process that could take up to a year to finalise?

Some people believe that if they consult a non-specialist divorce lawyer in the first instance, they can always switch to a niche practice like ours if they become disenchanted with the service they are getting. Wrong! I have on several occasions been approached by prospective clients who want me to sort out the mess their present solicitor has so far made of their divorce, and I have always turned them down.

So, however desperate you are to disentangle yourself from an unhappy marriage, make sure you have the best legal person you can find on your side. For if you appoint in haste, you may well find yourself repenting at leisure!