How the Linekers did it: keeping divorce costs down
Last week, Gary Lineker and wife Danielle divorced in a court hearing that lasted just minutes.
They separated last April when they couldn't agree about having more children: Lineker has four already and feels he's too old for more. And with the break-up an amicable one, the couple opted to steer clear of expensive lawyers and handle it themselves: the process cost just £400.
This is vastly less than most couples end up paying. A 2014 survey by insurer Aviva found that the average cost of legal fees was £1,280, with 6% of couples actually putting off getting a divorce because of the costs involved.
And it's no longer possible to get legal aid with divorce bills unless there's evidence of domestic violence or the threat of child abduction.
But, as the Linekers show, it's possible to get divorced on a shoe-string, as long as things are reasonably amicable and the situation isn't too complicated. It can be done in as little as six weeks, in theory, although even the quickest divorces usually take a few months.
The one thing you will have to pay is the court cost - £410 in England and Wales. In Scotland and Northern Ireland there are different procedures depending on how simple arrangements are, but the basic price comes in at even less than this.
You can download the necessary documents from a government website, or buy them for around £15 from stationers and post offices.
Most people, though, will need a little advice, and a number of websites exist to help people through the process. The Linekers are believed to have used the Divorce-Online website, whose charges start at just £59.
And a DIY divorce isn't advised where there are children under 18, a valuable home or - easily forgotten, this one - a significant pension to take into account. It's not a cheap divorce if you later discover that you could have got much, much more, after all.
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It is still perfectly possible, though, to use a solicitor and keep legal charges low.
Some lawyers are prepared to charge a fixed rate of a few hundred pounds where the couple has already agreed how assets should be split and where the divorce itself is uncontested.
Otherwise, you're into the territory of hourly rates - and solicitors don't come cheap. Most will charge well over £100 an hour, bringing total costs up into the thousands. While your solicitor should be able to give you an estimate at the beginning of the process you can't rely on this, as complications often arise.
It's key, therefore, to try and agree as much as possible with your ex-partner directly before going to a solicitor, as conducting every little squabble through the professionals could add thousands to the final bill.
Remember you'll be charged every time your solicitor so much as reads an email - so while it's tempting to pour your heart out, you'll be paying very dear for the privilege. While the Linekers are believed to be worth as much as £20 million, the chances are that you aren't.
