In general, if the divorce is straightforward the likely costs will be between €2,000 and €4,000. If, however, the case is not straightforward then the costs can be significantly more. Certain factors have a significant bearing on the costs, including:
- The complexity of the matter – Sometimes other legal issues impact the Divorce application. An example of this might be where there is a dispute in regard to whether a marriage is legal or not. Perhaps the parties got married abroad and there is a question mark over the validity of the marriage.
- Failure to disclose assets and liabilities: Many spouses are reluctant to disclose bank accounts, shares, pensions and even properties. If one spouse has a suspicion that the other spouse has assets and is not disclosing them, then separate applications might need to be made to the court to compel the other party to disclose them.
- Failure to reply to court proceedings: It is often the case that one spouse will ignore correspondence and court proceedings. They may not for instance sign for registered letters. This then necessitates an application to court to get permission to serve the court documents by way of ordinary post and not registered post. In some cases, the spouse may move location and the proceedings may have to be served by way of social media, for example, through Facebook.
- If the amount of documentation is voluminous it can take the solicitor a significant amount of time to go through it. If there are assets it may be the case that the solicitor would have to instruct third parties to assist. An example of this would be the engaging of an auctioneer to value land, farms or properties. An accountant may have to be engaged to value a business or a shareholding.
- If there are issues affecting the welfare of the children then an expert child psychologist or play therapist may have to provide a report.
In general, the longer the case takes and the more applications/reports that are required the greater the costs.