Prospective customers go online and fill in a simple questionnaire giving the requisite and relevant personal details and, upon the payment of a certain fee, they download their own Separation Agreement form.
Downloading a form is simple and filling it up is not. Any couple, before they turn signatories to a Separation Agreement, need a solicitor’s help for separation agreements can be potentially disadvantageous to the ignorant.
Legal advice is a requisite right from the start. Separating couples who are extremely cooperative (a rare event) work out all the agreements themselves. But even they require a minimum help from the solicitor-turned-mediator to just look at the legal aspects of their decisions.
And there are some couples at the other extreme who come to an agreement only after reaching the battle ground of the courtroom. If one were to ask whether people can get their own separation agreement or they need the help of a solicitor, the answer would lie somewhere between both these extremes mentioned. Couples entering into separation agreements with the help of a solicitor sought assistance in varying degrees:
• the solicitor could be in the form of a mediator who only advises the couple and does not dispense individual legal advice, some separating couples negotiate their agreements through collaborative family lawyers who are trained in family law. Each partner has an independent solicitor and the four people sort out the splitting up of assets in a few rounds of meetings (the lawyers give legal advice and the decisions rest with the clients),
• couples of high-conflict divorces appoint individual lawyers who work more to prepare the case rather than reach an agreement - agreements of this kind are best avoided for the drain on resources they place.
There are many advantages of seeking a solicitor’s help. Financial settlements attract taxes and it is the solicitor who can advise on the best possible option, further, these settlements have long-term implications invisible to the separating couple. A solicitor effectively visualises the future and safeguards the interests of his clients. Failing to get the help of a lawyer would lead to ignorance that can induce costly and extremely dangerous mistakes.
On the flip side, there are also several disadvantages of working out agreements with a solicitor’s help: solicitors are expensive, the more their help is sought the more expensive turns the negotiation. Not only is the solicitor’s involvement costly in terms of money but also in terms of time and strain on emotions.
There are quite a few online companies in the United Kingdom that offer Separation Agreement forms and the requisite services that go into reaching an agreement. A few well-known reputed companies have been mentioned below to help people who are weighing the options of seeking their services.
For example, www.separation-agreement.co.uk is a reputed company that offers Separation Agreement forms that are well-drafted by legal experts. The company has been in this particular line of business since long and plenty of satisfied clients stand testimony to the effectiveness of their work.
The cost-effective factor of the services offered by this company are worth mentioning. Separation Agreement forms are available at just £ 47 and the client is greatly benefited by the constant support, frequent updates, legal consultation and relevant e-books all given for free along with the forms.
People can enter into separation agreements, but it is highly recommended that they seek a solicitor’s help right from the beginning and should be careful enough to limit the guidance to the minimum.
James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor with extensive experience in the field of separation agreements for more information see http://www.separation-agreement.co.uk/