Fixed Rate Legal Drafting & Checking Service following the completion of Mediation

What we do

We provide a stress free way to divorce and separate which is a cost effective option for couples going through the Divorce process who want to make their own financial agreement legally binding, and move forward without using solicitors. We provide a fixed price with no hidden charges.

Who we are

ILS is headed by Caroline Saunders; a qualified family lawyer and a specialist practitioner in family law with over 30 years’ experience and now retired from practice. She is a member of Resolution and keen supporter of the mediation process. Her aim is to help those couples who have chosen to avoid the costly (both in terms of money and emotional pain) of the adversarial legal process and to implement their agreement at court themselves. She provides a drafting service which is both personal and flexible.

Her first rate service is priceless but will also save you time, aggravation, and money

We embarked on a very amicable divorce expecting lawyers to try to set us against each other. We’ve all heard the tales so it was an immense relief to find Caroline has a very modern and open approach treating us as individuals and providing everything we needed, when we needed it.

We cannot thank you enough for taking the stress out of the legal process and can recommend Caroline’s approach without reservation. Her first rate service is priceless but will also save you time, aggravation, and money.

Ian & Bunty via email

Why Use Us?

The ethos of ILS is to provide a personal and flexible service to help you implement your agreement on a cost effective basis and keeps you in control. This avoids the need for you to use your own lawyers and will typically be half the cost. It is also much faster as all emails and documents are sent to both of you at the same time. This also ensures that the entire process is "open" with all emails being sent to both of you at the same time. This helps to promote a friendly and non confrontational atmosphere.

  • We save you the financial and emotional costs of the legal process
  • We provide you with a Fixed Rate Drafting & Checking Service following the completion of Mediation, or for those couples who have reached their own agreements, with no hidden extra charges.
  • All documents are sent to both of you by email to save you time and cost.
  • We are always happy to speak to you by telephone or you may contact us via email to answer any questions you may have regarding what level of service may suit your particular requirements.
  • We also provide you with our notes for guidance at each stage of the proceedings and will always explain any part of the procedure which does not seem clear to you.
  • We do not advertise our service and all our business comes from personal recommendations and referrals from clients and family mediators.

Many couples prefer to reach an agreement for their Divorce or Separation without going through the financial and emotional costs of the adversarial legal process. ILS helps couples to move forwards by having their agreement made legally binding in the courts without having to instruct lawyers, as this can be both daunting and expensive - with average rates of £200 - £300 an hour plus VAT. Typically this can cost you £1500 each.

It is essential that you convert your agreement into a court order as this is the only way to ensure that it is binding and enforceable. Without a court order there is always the possibility that one of you might change your mind at some time in the future or when for example you have found a buyer for your house or secured a new mortgage. A court order provides certainty and security.

What could happen without an order?

The consequence of failing to obtain a financial remedy court order (often known as a "clean break order”) was highlighted in the court case that was heard by the Supreme Court on the 11 March 2015 of Wyatt v Vince. Despite the fact that this couple had been divorced for 22 years ago in 1992 and that they had only lived together for a couple of years whilst married, the Supreme Court decided that Ms Wyatt was legally entitled to make a claim against her former husband Mr Vince (now a multi-millionaire) for financial support. Mr Vince only made his fortune 13 years after the divorce so it was not the case that Ms Wyatt had contributed financially to his business. However, the Supreme Court decided that she had made a contribution to the marriage by looking after their son Dane and step daughter, both now adults.

Our services will:

  • Allow you to finalise your financial affairs - Most banks and building societies require a financial court order before they will consider dealing with transfers of a family home or other property.
  • Deal with all the paperwork on your behalf
  • Remove the need for solicitors, lawyers, and a costly court battle
  • Be charged at a pre-agreed, fixed fee (see Services & Prices)
  • Send you all documents by email, saving you time and cost
  • Provide a personal point of contact, assistance and support throughout the divorce process

Who is the Service for?

Our services are suitable for those who have either:

  • successfully completed the mediation process and who have an agreed "Open Financial Summary" (OFS) and signed "Memorandum of Understanding" (MOU) from their mediator;
  • who have reached their own agreement which has been recorded in writing and signed and are fully aware of each other’s personal and financial circumstances;

We help couples to implement their agreement on divorce/separation by making an application to the court for a Financial Remedy Consent Order. Please use the links above or click here for more information on the services we provide.

I would highly recommend ILS

We were referred to ILS by our mediator and this was one of the best pieces of advice she gave. Caroline made the whole process much clearer and provided step-by-step guides to each stage of the process. Her user guides were comprehensive and her letter templates excellent. I rarely had to do anything other than date and sign on the dotted line. It’s also worth noting how quickly Caroline responded to queries, even when busy with other work or even on holiday! This was definitely money well spent and I would highly recommend ILS to anyone in the same situation.

Tom via email

Thank you

Caroline has been really helpful throughout this difficult process. She was always available to respond to queries and dealt with our divorce efficiently and with great sensitivity. I would highly recommend her and her service.

So much more effective than our previous experience

Caroline at ILS made the whole process of getting a Consent Order so simple. Following mediation, she took the agreements made, rightly interrogated them to make sure that we fully understood the implications, and then started drafting. Despite a subsequent change in direction, Caroline then redrafted the Order, all within the original fee, quickly and without complaint. The clarity and timeliness of her communications were exemplary and she also talked us through how to make an application to the Courts for the Order. Absolutely everything went through, without any delays or queries from the Judge, and ILS maintained an absolute commitment to be fair to both parties at all times. Using their services was so much more effective than our previous experience of paying enormous fees for separate solicitors to write letters to each other, leading to no progress, bad blood and big invoices as the main outcomes. I have already recommended using ILS to somebody else who is in a similar position. You have to live with a Consent Order for a long time - it just isn't worth trying to do it yourself.

David via email

Caroline has broken down the steps in this potentially difficult process

Caroline is clear and concise and communicates well. At all times Caroline has broken down the steps in this potentially difficult process so that I have been able to grasp them with limited legal experience.

James via email

Your patience, kindness, professionalism... made it possible for me to move on with my life

Dear Caroline,

Ending a marriage after more than 20 years together is a heart wrenching, soul searching, despairing time. Add to that a couple a deaths in family and dealing with the administration of estates, wills, etc and you have what is sadly a very average experience of a 40 something year old in this day and age. No wonder so many people are struggling.

To get through such a difficult phase of life requires help. Although by my own admission I have not always been the best communicator or done what was needed in the right way. Your patience, kindness, professionalism and ability to break down the process and order in which to file the many forms made it possible for me to move on with my life.

Eternally grateful

Mirabelle via email

Thank you

Caroline was incredibly helpful, clear and efficient when helping my ex husband and I finalize our divorce. I felt that the legal advice which was so organized and professional was balanced with profound care and sensitivity around what we were going through. I highly, highly recommend this service

Her first rate service is priceless but will also save you time, aggravation, and money

We embarked on a very amicable divorce expecting lawyers to try to set us against each other. We’ve all heard the tales so it was an immense relief to find Caroline has a very modern and open approach treating us as individuals and providing everything we needed, when we needed it.

We cannot thank you enough for taking the stress out of the legal process and can recommend Caroline’s approach without reservation. Her first rate service is priceless but will also save you time, aggravation, and money.

Ian & Bunty via email

The process couldn't have been clearer and simpler

I just wanted to say how brilliant Caroline has been in helping my (now ex !) wife and myself get divorced. We had trouble finding someone to act for both of us and when we finally found Caroline the process couldn't have been clearer and simpler. Despite us taking ages to get our paperwork sorted Caroline was endlessly patient and efficient. Would that more divorces could be as painless (and inexpensive !)

Steve via email

Although we had managed to reach agreement between ourselves, without recourse to lawyers, it was still a very tense and stressful time. So it was immensely reassuring to have Caroline to guide us through the process of how to turn our agreement into something we could submit to the court and to write the final agreement for us. She was calm and clear and straightforward in all her communication, prompt and responsive, and extremely patient with our delays and tensions and I feel very lucky that we found here.

Thank you Caroline!

Harriet

Thank you for guiding me through the minefield

Thank you for all of your help and for breaking down the legal jargon for me! You have a very thorough, tried and tested procedure, which you split into sections to make it feel less daunting.

You are also very approachable and explain everything thoroughly and when necessary, over the phone to make it easier to understand!

Again thank you for guiding me through the minefield to the other side.

Sue via email

Wouldn't Hesitate to Recommend Independent Legal Services

After going down the solicitor route to both mine and “my pockets” detriment in trying to secure my divorce and getting nowhere fast I can honestly say that the service provided by Caroline at Independent Legal Services was a breath of fresh air.

I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Caroline, worth every penny, took the fear out of a very daunting and complicated process.

Maria via email

We could not have done it without you

Dear Caroline, I have now applied for Decree Absolute using your suggested wording in my covering letter to the court.

Enormous thanks to you for how easy and understandable you have made the complicated process seem. We could not have done it without you. In addition you were a pleasure to deal with throughout; tactful and patient. I have already recommended you to a friend and will continue to recommend you to anyone who has reached agreement without recourse to lawyers.

Rachel via email

Very Impressed

I was very impressed with Caroline as she was very pleasant and helpful in which she helped me in preparing my consent order from my memorandum of understanding and open financial statement after attending mediation and explained very well with step by step instructions how to get this order to the court .

Mr Flack via email

Highly Recommend

Caroline provided an excellent service clearly explaining the process we needed to follow and providing the paperwork necessary to complete our divorce. This significantly reduced the stress and financial burden during this unpleasant time. I highly recommend Independent Legal Services.

Mark via email

Thank you for your patience and understanding

I would like to thank you for your patience and understanding during what was a difficult and somewhat frustrating period whilst things were being resolved following the mediation sessions that my ex wife and I went through.

In addition your service was very professional, you presented things in a manner and format that was easy for us to follow and, where necessary, the advice you provided was very much appreciated.

I would have no hesitation in recommending your services to those who require it.

Mike via email

An Excellent Service

I have no hesitation in recommending Caroline Saunders - her help really was invaluable in steering me through what could have been a very tricky and drawn-out process. Her templates were excellent and she was very responsive to any questions I had, which was very reassuring. An excellent service. Thank you Caroline!

Emma via email

Complete professional and wonderful service

I received excellent service from Independent legal services run by Caroline Saunders. Caroline helped us deal with the overwhelming legal paperwork and jargon, well worth the service and I would thoroughly recommend her due to her friendly and very professional service which helped us through the difficult period of divorce in making sure everything was correct for courts to sign off our agreement

Cochrane via Yell.com

Wonderful service and so understanding and patient!

What a good decision to come to Caroline of ILS to prepare our consent order. She took us through the legal process and all the legal jargon that goes with it in in detail and with great patience. She never minded answering all of our questions and prepared all of the documents for us and made the whole process stress free. Our friends. who are both using separate lawyers and at huge expense can't believe how we have obtained our order at minimum cost plus we been able to stay friends throughout. She even reminded us to make new wills which we hadn't even thought about.

Anne via Email

Above and beyond

Caroline has gone above and beyond in her service throughout the divorce process. From the onset, a fixed fee was agreed, rather than ambiguous hourly rates offered by others. Caroline made things clear and concise every step of the way and would respond to queries promptly. This was so important in reducing the already stressful and arduous process of a lengthy divorce in which communication was inconsistent and fragmented. Caroline was ready to answer any questions and provided foresight based on her experience. This proved useful as I was able to resolve a potential complaint within a matter of days. I highly recommend Caroline's service, it was invaluable!

Excellent legal service

Absolutely brilliant, such a helpful and professional solicitor that helped us both through a difficult divorce.

I can honestly say that after a long marriage of nearly 30 Years my divorce hit very hard emotionally. When you're so low you defiantly don't function as you would in normal circumstances, although this is the time you need to produce accurate and precise documentations for the courts. Caroline Saunders of independent legal services was excellent, she has a wealth of expertise as a divorce solicitor and that is apparent in her professional approach but more than that she takes time to explain the complex legalities of what is required by the courts. She took the memorandum of understanding (document detailing what has been agreed in mediation) and completed all relevant court forms and documentation at the various stages of the divorce court application. Excellent value for money. Would and have recommended Caroline Saunders of Independent legal services.

C Hawkett via Yell.com

Services & Prices

We offer a Fixed Rate Drafting and Checking Service for couples going through Divorce or Separation. We help couples to make an application to the courts for a Financial Remedy Consent Order, which allows them to implement their own agreement. This agreement may have been reached independently, or as part of the Mediation process - read more on whom our services are suitable for.

Our service is a drafting service only and accordingly we will not give any legal advice. However, if at the outset it is obvious that your agreement is unworkable (on a practical basis), or just clearly unfair we will say so and decline to take on your case as it stands. We will be happy to point you in the direction of a number of Mediation Services or other professionals who can help you to reach an agreement.

Preparing the draft order

The preparation of the financial remedy consent order involves taking the essential parts of your agreement (whether this is recorded in the MOU or your written agreement) and putting it into the specific legal wording and format that is required by the court. This requires specialised legal knowledge and experience.

There are specific formalities and legal requirements which must be followed. The court is not bound to approve a draft order and will reject it if it has been incorrectly prepared or the court is being asked to do something that it does not have the power to do.

Making the Financial Remedy Order

Using our services will minimise the risk of your agreement being rejected by the court. We will ensure that the draft financial order is in the correct form together with the other court forms which are required by the court so that the court has all the information it needs. We will warn you if we anticipate that there is a possibility (for whatever reason) that the judge will not approve your agreement and make it into an order. From experience we have a good idea what may or may not be acceptable to the court.

Information the Court may want from you

As you will be acting in person, the judge may write to you if he or she has any questions relating to your agreement or regarding your financial or personal circumstances. This is quite normal. You should also be aware that there is never a guarantee that the judge will approve your agreement.

ILS will try and anticipate what further information the judge may require from you and suggest that this is provided in advance by way of "background”. It is often the case that the "bare facts" as required on some of the court forms do not explain the background why you, as a couple have made your particular agreement. It takes no account of what has happened in your marriage/relationship and what you both feel to be morally or personally right for you as a family.

If you have not reached agreement through the mediation process and therefore are not in possession of an OFS you will need to supply all of the information required for the completion of form D81.

Option One

  • We guide you through the new on-line “no fault” digital divorce application.
  • We prepare the financial consent order* from the information in your Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
  • We prepare form D81 (Statement of information for a consent order) from your Open Financial Statement (OFS) or from the information provided by you.
  • We prepare the notice (form A) which is sent with the proposed financial consent order & D81 to the court
  • We provide you with our step by step guides and our template letters to the court.

Cost: £800.00

Fees are payable in advance by bank transfer or credit/debit card. Please see our Terms of Business for details

Option Two

  • Suitable for those who already have their divorce, or who are happy to deal with the on-line digital divorce application without assistance.
  • We prepare the financial consent order* from your (MOU) or written agreement
  • We prepare form D81 from your (OFS) or from the information you provide us.
  • We prepare the notice to the court (form A) which is sent with the proposed financial consent order & D81 to the court.
  • We provide you with our step by step guides and template letter to the court.

Cost: £750.00*

Fees are payable in advance by bank transfer or credit/debit card. Please see our Terms of Business for details

Separation Agreement

Suitable for those who are not ready to begin divorce proceedings but need the assurance of a written and binding agreement.

Your separation agreement can be used as the basis for your financial consent court order once you are both ready to begin the divorce proceedings.

Cost £500.00 or £350 if we prepare the financial consent order as well.

Fees are payable in advance by bank transfer or credit/debit card. Please see our Terms of Business for details

*Please note that if your consent order includes a pension sharing order an additional fee of £50 for each pension sharing order will be charged to cover the additional work involved.

Please note that this is a purely drafting and checking service and that ILS will not provide any legal advice. As a couple you need to be sure that you wish to proceed before you instruct ILS.

How to pay

Fees are payable in advance by bank transfer, please see our Terms of Business for details.

What we need from you

In order to complete the required paperwork, we will require certain information from you - please see information we need from you.

Contact us

If you would like any more information or think that ILS may be able to provide you with the services you require, please use the form below to send us a message to discuss your situation. We aim to respond to all enquires within 48hours - if you would like us to call you back, please leave a phone number and an approximate time you would prefer us to call you.

Alternatively, please call us on 0751 817 8977.

    Please also make sure you have read our Terms of Business