RUGBY Offices

Private Client Department, Address: 16 Church Street, RUGBY, CV21 3PW, Telephone: + 44 (0) 1788 579 579, Fax: +44 (0) 1788 570 949

Conveyancing Department, Address: 26 Regent Street, RUGBY, CV21 2PS, Telephone: + 44 (0) 1788 551 611, Fax: + 44 (0) 1788 551 597

Commercial/ Wills, Trusts & Probate Departments, Address: The Robbins Building, 25 Albert Street, RUGBY, CV21 2SD, Telephone: + 44 (0) 1788 579 579, Fax: + 44 (0) 1788 552 888

LONDON Offices

2nd Floor Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6BD, Telephone enquiries: +44 (0) 2078876590, Fax number: +44 (0) 207 8876001

BANBURY Offices

Strathmore House, Waterperry Court, Middleton Road, BANBURY, OX16 4QD, General Telephone enquires: + 44 (0) 1295 270999

STEP 1 Disclosure and Negotiation

This package covers the financial disclosure, legal advice and negotiation of a financial settlement.


Step 1 aims to help you to produce a legally binding financial agreement with your spouse following the disclosure of all financial records.

If, at the end of Step 1, you are not able to reach agreement, then we offer a further range of fixed price services to help you to move forward to an application to the Court.


If the relationship between you and your spouse is extremely acrimonious or your spouse is antagonistic and unlikely to co-operate in any financial disclosure or negotiations, we may advise you to go directly to the Court and dispense with the Step 1 process altogether.  If you feel that you are in this situation then please telephone us or book a free consultation of your case using our on-line ‘book a consultation form’.

If your spouse is not willing to disclose their financial arrangements voluntarily or refuses to engage in the negotiations, then it may be appropriate to end the process of voluntary disclosure and move directly to Court proceedings.

What is included in the Step 1 service?

We will manage voluntary financial disclosure.  We will provide to you initial legal advice and information on the process of resolving financial matters on divorce.  We will contact your spouse, or their Solicitors, to agree a voluntary exchange of information.  The exchange of information will be by way of preparing a Form E, which is a Court form required to produce disclosure of relevant financial information.

When we have completed your Form E we will exchange forms with your spouse and their Solicitor. 

Upon receipt of your spouse’s Form E we will ask any pertinent and relevant questions of your spouse and we will provide advice on an appropriate financial settlement for you, which we will attempt to negotiate on your behalf with your spouse through his or her Solicitors. 

If a mutually acceptable agreement is reached (and this is quite often the case), we will draft a Consent Order and manage the process of submitting this to the Court for final agreement, assuming that divorce proceedings have been started.  If you decide not to divorce then we will draft a Separation Agreement on your behalf.

If agreement cannot be reached, we will provide advice on next steps, including whether Mediation might be suitable for you, or an application to the Court. These options are additional services and not included in the price of the disclosure and negotiation service.  Additional services can be offered at a fixed price and we will provide information to you concerning your options.

What is not included in the Step 1 service?

This fixed price Step 1 service does not include applying to the Court for ancillary relief (financial provision), any work or advice on any children’s issues, any work or advice on the divorce.  The divorce is available as a separate fixed fee divorce service.  Any conveyancing work necessary to implement an agreement.

How do I order and pay for the Step 1 service?

The fixed price for Step 1 covers our fees of £1,450 plus VAT, but does not include Court fees or any other professional fees that may need to be incurred, such as valuation of property, a valuation of pensions, Barristers fees or Court fees.  A Court fee of £45 is payable when the Consent Order is submitted to the Court.

We are happy to accept payments by instalments:-

  • Initial payment of £500 to start the process
  • A second payment of £500 on exchange of financial disclosure
  • A final payment of £450 to provide the advice to you following receipt of your spouse’s financial disclosure.

Please click on the link below to register your interest with us and we will, on receipt, contact you to and provide further information. 

Through Lloyds TSB Bank we are also able to help put you in touch with a bank representative that could arrange a personal loan for you to pay for the divorce, which you can pay back out of any financial settlement that you receive when these proceedings are concluded. Many clients use this facility to help them with the payments.

http://www.brethertons.co.uk/Home/Individual/Family/Arrange-a-Consultation.aspx



The level of service is unsurpassed. The website is a model. The services provided range from simple online divorces through a user-friendly interface at competitive cost to complex high value ancillary relief matters. The firm's staff are all warm, welcoming, helpful and knowledgeable. The lawyers are friendly and approachable, fully up-to-date, and demonstrate an ability to communicate their expertise and advise in plain English. They intelligently seek solutions, and do everything possible to avoid conflict and minimise costs exposure for clients. Their response times are excellent, and the standard of correspondence and other written work the highest. They enjoy excellent relationships with professional colleagues and select the best and most appropriate experts.