We’ve helped people from all walks of life to find their best settlement without breaking the bank.

We promise you top-flight legal advice tempered with straight-talking common sense.

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When relationships go wrong, you’re usually not at your best – professionally or personally – and we understand that.

When you first contact us, we’re expecting you to be upset, worried, or even angry. That’s fine – we understand that contemplating separation or divorce is daunting, and we’re here to help you, whatever your current state of mind.

If you’re navigating through a challenging family situation and need expert guidance, speaking to one of our family lawyers in Oxford will provide the clarity and support you need.

You want candid, practical, expert advice that won’t cost the Earth, and that’s what we provide.

Your divorce shouldn’t break the bank

We don’t offer Legal Aid, but we do make sure that you don’t pay any more than necessary for the legal support you need. We’re called Family First because we believe that people are more important than money. Our entire approach is structured to get you the best outcome possible for the least financial outlay.

Call us now

Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm

Out of hours?

Fill in the form and we’ll call you back at a time of your choice.

Ready to Book?

Book your initial meeting for £180

Find Out Where You Stand

The most pressing concerns most people have when they first contact us are; “Where do I stand, and how much will it cost me to find out?”

 

Your first meeting with us costs £180.

And that price is fixed no matter how long it takes for you to tell us your situation.

We’ll tell you where you stand legally, what might happen next, and what your next move needs to be.

Can we settle without going to court?

If you and your partner are still on speaking terms, it may be that a combination of Mediation and our Single Solicitor Service can settle your divorce, financial agreement and parenting arrangements without costly court proceedings.

This approach typically costs £2,000+VAT for our services.

Mediation Oxford - Family First Solicitors - Picking Sides

What if we can’t agree on a settlement?

If you’re sure that Non Court Dispute Resolution isn’t suitable for you, and you can’t agree on a financial settlement, you’ll need to issue court proceedings.

There’s no point putting this off – if you can’t make an agreement with your partner now, that’s unlikely to miraculously change. The sooner you start, the sooner you can get to the end of the process.

We won’t beat about the bush here – this is the traditional divorce scenario, with lawyers, barristers and a judge. It’s going to cost some money, and this is the time to ensure that those costs don’t spiral out of control.

How can I keep control of costs?

Most family lawyers ask you for a hefty retainer fee, then bill their time against it until the pot is empty. Then they ask for some more, and keep going until that runs out. Sound scary? It is. It feels like sitting in a taxi, watching the meter rack up, without knowing if your journey will take 15 minutes or 5 hours.

That’s why we’re up-front about our fixed-fee divorce costs.

The process breaks into four phases and usually takes between 9 and 12 months to complete.

How to sort my income, form E. Family First Solicitors

Our Fixed Fee Financial Remedy Proceedings Costs

What’s covered Our Fee

Barrister’s fee
(if necessary)

Phase One From start of proceedings to First Appointment at court. £3,000+VAT £1,500+VAT
Phase Two From end of First Apt to Financial Dispute Resolution. £4,000+VAT £2,500+VAT
Phase Three From End of FDR to a final hearing lasting one day. £5,000+VAT £3,000+VAT
Phase Four From end of the final hearing to implement the matter. £750 – £3,000 depending on complexity.

This is a worst possible case scenario, assuming your ex is being extremely obstructive. In most cases people settle after Phase Two.

Phase One

From start of proceedings to First Appointment at court.
Our Fee: £3,000+VAT
Barrister’s Fee: £1,500+VAT (if necessary)


 

Phase Two

From end of First Apt to Financial Dispute Resolution.
Our Fee: £4,000+VAT
Barrister’s Fee: £2,500+VAT (if necessary)


 

Phase Three

From End of FDR to a final hearing lasting one day.
Our Fee: £5,000+VAT
Barrister’s Fee: £3,000+VAT (if necessary)

 


 

Phase Four

From end of the final hearing to implement the matter.
Our Fee: £750 – £3,000 depending on complexity.


 

This is a worst possible case scenario, assuming your ex is being extremely obstructive. In most cases people settle after Phase Two.

The fee for each phase includes all correspondence, forms, advice, telephone support, instructing a barrister or preparing for court as well as attendance at court to support you. This includes all correspondence and assistance to finalise your matter, deal with any extra issues such as arguments over belongings in the house or assisting you with enforcement of the order.

All the above is only suitable for cases where there are one to two properties, no complex businesses, no foreign assets and no intervention by third parties. All pensions together cumulatively need to be under £300,000 in value. All cases accepted on our fixed fee regime are subject to consideration and agreement and are entirely at our discretion.

That could cost up to £30k!
Can’t I get it cheaper?

Yes you can – with Pay-As-You-Go Law

Up to 50% of what you pay to a divorce lawyer will be spent on administrative tasks – correspondence, form preparation, filing applications and so on. These are all crucial tasks, but if you have good organisational skills you can handle many of them yourself, while you only pay us for our legal skill and judgement – not for our letter-writing, letter-reading or photocopying abilities.

It’s like handling your own divorce, but with a highly experienced family lawyer’s arm around your shoulder.

Pay As You Go family Law could save up to 50% of your legal fees. Family First Solicitors in Oxford

Mrs R recently used our Pay As You Go service for a fairly complex divorce, which included numerous pensions, a business and an ex-partner who was resistant to full disclosure of assets. Most national family law firms would have charged her about £60k. If she’d done it on our full fixed fee service it would have cost around £30,000, but using our Pay As You Go service, she paid only £14,000.

Family First Solicitors in Oxford - Keeping our family law costs down to save you money.

How are we able to offer such an outstanding, personal service so affordably?

Most national law companies have huge overheads; including offices, admin staff, exorbitant marketing budget and shareholders.

As an independent family law firm, our costs are considerably lower, and we pass those economies on to you.

If you find our approach unusual, that’s because it is.

So if you’re interviewing 2 or 3 family law firms, make sure we’re one of them.

Your first meeting costs just £180 and takes as long as it takes.

Some of the services we offer

Hover or touch on any image for more details. Click or tap to go to the page.

Since 2013 we’ve been helping people in Oxford and London find their way through the maze of divorce, separation, child care arrangements and financial agreements. We’re not only the most professional family lawyers Oxford has, but we’re also compassionate people with cool heads who understand how relationship breakdowns affect everyone concerned.
We’ve helped people from all walks of life to find their best settlement without breaking the bank. We promise you top-flight legal advice tempered with straight-talking common sense.

Our people – you won't find a better family law team

What clients say about our family lawyers and divorce solicitors

Our family law accreditations and awards

Law Society Awards. Family First Solicitors - Family Lawyers and Divorce Solicitors Oxford London St Albans
Three Best Rated Solicitors. Family First Solicitors - Family Lawyers and Divorce Solicitors Oxford London St Albans
Law Society Celebrating Excellence. Family First Solicitors - Family Lawyers and Divorce Solicitors Oxford London St Albans
NBPC Pro Bono Award Winner. Family First Solicitors - Family Lawyers and Divorce Solicitors Oxford London St Albans
Solicitors Regulation Authority. Family First Solicitors - Family Lawyers and Divorce Solicitors Oxford London St Albans

Client Stories: Family Lawyers & Divorce Lawyers Oxford and London

Family Law Articles and Advice

Call us now

Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm

Out of hours?

Fill in the form and we'll call you.

Ready to Book?

Book your initial meeting for £180