We are fully open for business to assist all current and prospective clients during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. Our offices have re-opened with full social distancing measures in place though we are also able to work from home at any time. We offer both virtual appointments (via Zoom and other platforms) and face to face meetings, provided appointments are booked in advance,
If you wish to make a pre-booked appointment, please read the attached document setting out the safety procedures and rules we have put in place at our offices to protect our clients and staff.
Edward Cooke
Director, Edward Cooke Family Law
When you are in the midst of change, it is essential to have a clear idea of the likely costs involved in resolving issues. The level of costs will depend on which process is followed, however we will provide you with clear and transparent information about this from the outset.
The first 30 minutes of your initial consultation is always free (this includes any initial phone meeting or Zoom/online consultation). You can speak with us over the telephone or face to face, depending on what you prefer, although we normally recommend a follow-up face-to-face meeting after a phone meeting.
Initial meetings can be helpful if you simply want some very basic information and guidance or would like to discuss with us the possibility of our taking on your case.
Many initial meetings are of an hour or more. The first 30 minutes are free, the second 30 minutes cost £125 plus VAT, and thereafter time is charged in accordance with our hourly rate of £250 per hour or such other rate as we advise.
Mediation and Information Assessment Meetings are also charged at £125 plus VAT on the basis provided that they do not last for more than one hour. Thereafter, any further time is charged in line with the hourly rate of the mediator.
It’s helpful to email us a brief summary of your circumstances and your financial situation before the first meeting. This gives us some information before we meet you and enables us to focus on assisting you and assessing your case.
During the first meeting, we discuss options to resolve your case and the likely costs of our assisting you going forward.
We then provide you with a clear estimate of your likely costs. These of course depend on which option is followed.
As your case develops, we will keep you updated on your costs position and will advise you if the initial estimate needs to be reviewed.
If we are assisting you in mediation, we will provide you with an invoice at the end of every meeting, so that you pay as you go.
If we are advising you (whether alongside mediation or in the collaborative process, the court process or otherwise), we will provide you with regular updates and will discuss at the outset how you will pay your costs (see Funding Options). We will also provide you with an invoice whenever you ask us to.
We offer fixed fee options for certain types of work, including a fixed fee divorce package.
We also offer fixed fees if you wish us to assist you with particular aspects of your case or for drafting particular documents, for example in preparing a Pre-Nuptial Agreement or a Separation Agreement.
We also offer a pay as you go service for clients who are representing themselves, but need bespoke assistance with particular tasks.
We accept payments by card, cheque or bank transfer.
Please contact us on 01243 769001 if you wish to make a card payment or bank transfer.
Where people resolve matters out of court, whether through mediation or collaborative process, then they tend to pay their legal costs as they go.
If out-of-court settlement is not possible and a court application is necessary, where possible we also recommend that clients pay their costs on a regular basis during the course of the case.
However, there are times where this is not possible, if for example cash flow is tight or capital is tied up in a home. In those circumstances, we can discuss a range of funding options so that you are able to fund your case, for example borrowing from family or a personal loan.
We are registered with Novitas and Iceberg, two legal funding providers, both of whom offer legal funding loans to people who are unable to pay all of their legal costs during the course of the case. Both Novitas and Iceberg offer legal funding loans which enable you to pay your legal fees out of the eventual settlement.
We appreciate that it can be very difficult for people to meet their costs, particularly in court proceedings where one party has the financial resources to meet their costs but is not willing to assist the other party in meeting their costs. We will therefore assess with you the options available to you, prior to the institution of court proceedings, to ensure that you can benefit from representation in such a scenario.
You can make an appointment by completing the online submission form, or if you would rather speak to a member of
our team please call 01243 769001.