Family Law | Children | Divorce | Financial Matters | Separation | Helpful Pre-Appointment Advice | Fees | FAQs
The thought of an appointment with a Family solicitor in Poynton, Cheadle or across Cheshire might be a very daunting experience. Often, you have reached the point where you really want to ask someone for advice, but you are unsure what the appointment involves and anxious that it might be a painful experience. We will make it as painless as possible.
We realise it may have taken a long time to get to this point, and fully understand that dealing with the possibility of a marriage breakdown or separation can be enormously stressful.
We are not here to judge you, but rather to advise and represent you while lending a sympathetic ear.
What to do before making your free appointment
In order for Manners Pimblett to assess what claims you may have, how long the process is likely to take and how much it could cost, it is often helpful for you to find out as much of the following relevant information as you can beforehand. Don’t worry if you can’t get all of this together but bear in mind that it could speed up the process and save you money.
What we need to know
- Basic details for everyone in your family: their names, dates of birth, addresses and where they spend their time.
- When did you get married or start living together?
- When did you start renting or buy your house? Who put money in? Who pays the mortgage or rent now?
- Who contributed and how much? Did you talk about what would happen if you split up?
- Why you think the relationship has broken down (this can mean exploring some feelings that you might have been pushing to the back of your mind for some time).
- Are there allegations that we need to know about? It could be domestic violence, alcohol abuse, drugs use, gambling, financial or coercive control and anything else that you feel might be relevant.
- What do you want to happen going forward — what is on your wish list?
Financial* Information — the more you can bring with you the better.
The following will help us to advise on potential financial claims.
- What the value of your property is (whether that be one house or several) and what you owe in mortgages and/or loans.
- What you are able to borrow. This is crucial information even when you want to stay in the house.
- What other assets do you have? This will include pensions even if they are frozen.
- Do you expect to inherit some money?
- It will be really helpful for you to find out if you can claim any additional income, for example tax credits and child benefit.
- Jotting down your reasonable outgoings will also provide a useful head start.
If you would like further advice before making an appointment, please don’t hesitate to call 01625 850 888 (option 3) or email mazhar@mannerspimblett.co.uk.
*Please note that we are unable to give financial advice, so you may need to speak to an Independent Financial Adviser.
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