Aylesbury: Reaching a fair settlement with full disclosure

How our solicitors helped

Elizabeth Gray, one of our Associates, took time to understand what our client wanted to achieve. He was keen to keep things amicable and move forward without unnecessary conflict. Elizabeth explained that without sight of all the information, it was difficult to say with confidence whether what had been offered in the divorce settlement was equitable.

Rather than simply flagging the risk, Elizabeth explained the difference between pursuing formal financial disclosure and seeking the information informally. This way, he could weigh up what each path would involve in terms of time, cost, and the impact on his ongoing relationship with his wife.

He considered his position and decided to proceed with the original agreement but asked for further information before anything was finalised. Thankfully, his wife was willing to provide it.

She supplied a D81 form which gave both parties, and the court, a transparent account of the financial picture. With that disclosure in place, our client was able to proceed knowing the arrangement had been properly examined.

The case concluded relatively quickly, and both parties were able to move forward. The outcome was not a significant change to what had originally been proposed, but our client now had the confidence that what he had agreed to was fair.

Reflecting on the case, Elizabeth says,

“For me, providing good legal representation means helping a client to make their matter less complicated, and providing a resolution without adding any additional stress or unnecessary complexity.”