Financial Order

If your marriage or civil partnership has came to an end, there would often be financial decisions to be made regarding the family home, how to divide savings, possessions, property and pensions. If you have any children, there will also be a child maintenance to consider.

If you are unable to agree on how these assets are to be divided, then you may be left with no other option but to apply for a financial order through the court. If you are able to agree on how you wish to divide your assets, then the court can also approve this agreement.

Before you apply to Court for a financial order you should check if mediation help you to reach an agreement. In most all cases judge will expect parties to attend Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting prior to commencing court proceedings.

Once you have made your application for a financial order, you will be given an appointment with a judge. This is known as the ‘First Appointment’. This appointment will be between 12 and 16 weeks from when you first made your application. Also, not less than 35 days before the first appointment both parties must simultaneously exchange with each other and file a financial statement in court.

At the first appointment parties will meet the judge and if they are in agreement the judge can issue a financial order, if not parties’ need to attend a subsequent Financial Dispute Resolution Hearing. At Financial Dispute Resolution Hearing the judge will try to help you reach a financial order. If parties consent to some arrangements the judge will make a consent order reflecting this agreement. If parties are still unable to reach an agreement, the judge will decide a date for a final hearing when will take a decision based on evidence.