Divorce costs hit finances beyond lawyer fees, says Octopus legal group
Divorce costs are financially draining for separating couples in the UK beyond just legal fees, according to a new report from Octopus-owned legal service, Amicable.
The report, which surveyed 2,000 UK adults who have either divorced, separated, or dissolved a civil partnership over the last 10 years, found that almost 40 per cent said their split “pushed them into debt”.
Alongside legal fees, the “biggest financial pressures” for separating couples include household income loss, costs associated with a new home, day-to-day living expenses, and personal savings taking a “major hit.”
Amicable, a legal service business, was founded in 2015 as an affordable alternative to traditional divorce routes involving lawyers or solicitors for couples seeking to separate, and was acquired by Octopus Group in 2023, the parent company to Octopus Energy.
The deal saw the service also working with Octopus Money to help customers navigate the web of financial, administrative and legal issues.
“Based on the UK median full-time salary of around £39,000, divorce costs can represent roughly 15 per cent to almost a third of annual income,” Molly Pile, chartered financial adviser at Octopus Money, said.
Pile added that legal fees are “only the visible part of the cost.”
“In practice, people are also rebuilding their entire financial lives. That often means dividing or losing access to key assets such as the family home, and in many cases pensions, which are one of the most valuable but overlooked parts of a settlement,” she said.
Overburdened court system pushes costs up
Ellie Hampson-Jones, senior associate in the divorce and family practice at Stewarts, told Morning Wire that the increase in costs for divorcing couples in the UK can be linked to “a significant delay” due to the English court system being “under-resourced and overburdened.”
“However, reputable solicitors will look to be creative and step outside of the court arena – finding ways to reach solutions that are right for modern families,” Hampson-Jones said.
“By opting into mediation, a private settlement hearing, or an arbitration process, couples are able to get to their end result faster, and more cost effectively, whilst avoiding all of the pitfalls that come with a DIY approach,” she added.
London is known as the divorce capital of the world, and last year it was set to grow further, with law firms such as Stewart’s expanding its high-net-worth practice to meet the growing demand for costly divorce work.
Londoners, according to the findings, are “the most likely” to opt for pre-nups, which are not legally binding under English law, or other arrangements, which are on the rise particularly amongst younger generations.
Across the UK, however, the legal service said that many couples are now choosing to manage their own separations, use mediation, or opt for online legal services. A decade ago, more than half of couples asked a solicitor or lawyer to manage their splits, but in the last year that figure has fallen to 28 per cent.