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When you may be able to manage your divorce without solicitors

It may be possible for you to arrange your own divorce without involving solicitors if you agree on:

• the reasons you want to divorce
• how you’ll look after children
• how you’ll split up money, property and possessions

If you’re in any doubt about these things, it’s best to get help from a family mediator or a solicitor. A family mediator is an independent person who can help you and your husband or wife to reach an agreement.

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What you’ll need to consider when you're divorcing

There are many things that you should try to agree on between yourselves if you want to handle your own divorce.

Arrangements for children

You should try to decide how you will look after your children after you’ve divorced. You’ll also need to be able to agree on where the children will live and how often your spouse will be able to see them. See ‘Preparing your children for the end of your relationship’ for advice on how to make these arrangements.

• Preparing children for the end of your relationship

Splitting money, property and possessions

You should try to decide how you’ll divide your money and the things that you own. See ‘Working out money and property matters yourselves’ for more information.

• Working out money and property matters yourselves if you're married or in a civil partnership

Maintenance arrangements with your husband or wife

You may need to make some maintenance arrangements with your husband or wife if they need financial support when you divorce. See ‘Maintenance payments if you divorce or end a civil partnership’ for more information.

• Maintenance payments if you divorce or end a civil partnership

Wills when you divorce

Divorcing will make a big difference to any wills either of you have written. You may need to change your existing will or write a new one. See ‘Handling wills when your relationship ends’ for more information.

• Handling wills when your relationship ends

Divorce paperwork you’ll need to complete

To legally end your marriage, you will need to go through the formal divorce process.

If you’re able to agree everything with your spouse, you won’t have to attend any court hearings.

But you will still need to apply for a divorce and then ask the court to finalise it. If you don’t, you’ll still legally be married and you won’t be able to remarry.

• How the divorce process works

Getting help with the divorce paperwork

If you’ve agreed everything with your husband or wife, the divorce paperwork is usually quite straightforward.

But if you’re worried about filling in the forms, you can get help from your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

Or if you’re eligible for legal aid, you can get help from the Community Legal Advice service.

You can check if you can get legal aid by using the legal aid eligibility calculator.

If you’re not eligible for legal aid, Community Legal Advice can put you in touch with organisations who can help you.

• Citizens Advice Bureau

• Legal aid eligibility calculator Opens new window

• Community Legal Advice