The Invisible Workforce Behind UK Divorce Proceedings
Every year, approximately 103,000 marriages and civil partnerships are dissolved in England and Wales. Behind each of those legal proceedings, there is almost always a support network — family members, close friends, and trusted advisers who give up their time, expertise, and emotional energy to help the person they care about navigate one of the most complex and stressful experiences of their life.
For many of these helpers, the contribution is substantial. Reading through financial disclosure documents. Researching case law. Attending solicitor meetings to take notes and ask questions. Reviewing draft consent orders. Helping to prepare position statements. In some cases, this work amounts to hundreds of hours over the course of a multi-year proceeding.
Almost none of it is compensated.
Why This Matters
The legal aid cuts introduced by LASPO in 2013 removed public funding from the majority of private family law cases. The result has been a dramatic increase in litigants in person — individuals who represent themselves in court because they cannot afford a solicitor. Today, approximately 80% of private family law cases involve at least one litigant in person.
The gap left by legal aid has been filled, in large part, by informal helpers. These are not professional McKenzie Friends charging market rates. They are the sister who happens to have worked as a paralegal. The father who spent thirty years in business and understands financial disclosure. The friend who has been through a divorce themselves and knows the system. They provide real, valuable, skilled support — and they do so, typically, for nothing.
The Real Value of Informal Legal Support
Consider a realistic scenario: a person going through a complex financial remedy case in a divorce. Their sibling, who has significant experience supporting legal cases, helps them over an eighteen-month period. The sibling:
- Reviews and summarises 400 pages of financial disclosure documents
- Attends 12 meetings with the solicitor (2 hours each, plus travel)
- Researches case law on three specific issues
- Drafts two position statements for review by the solicitor
- Provides daily emotional support and strategic guidance
At a conservative rate of £35/hour for this level of work, the total contribution is worth approximately £15,000–£20,000. The beneficiary of this support — the divorcing spouse — has saved that amount in legal costs. The helper has received nothing.
The Conversation Nobody Wants to Have
The reason this imbalance persists is simple: it is deeply uncomfortable to discuss money with a family member in the context of a crisis. The helper does not want to appear mercenary. The person being helped does not want to feel like a burden. Both parties avoid the conversation, and the helper ends up resentful while the helped party remains oblivious to the true scale of the contribution.
The solution is not to have the conversation in the heat of the moment, but to establish a clear, written agreement at the outset — before the work begins. A well-reasoned rate, grounded in market data and clearly explained, removes the awkwardness from the discussion. It transforms a potentially fraught negotiation into a straightforward professional arrangement.
How to Establish a Fair Rate
The starting point is market data. What would a qualified professional charge for the same work? What is the appropriate adjustment for the fact that you are not a qualified solicitor, but also not carrying the overheads of a law firm? Our UK Legal Professional Rate Calculator produces a personalised, data-backed rate figure with the reasoning behind it — designed specifically to be shared with the other party as a discussion document.
The calculator takes into account your practice area experience, years of involvement, geographic location, and the overhead adjustment that reflects the cost saving of direct engagement. The result is a figure you can defend, explain, and agree in writing — before the work begins, not after the resentment has set in.