£8million costs for a divorce causes further outrage
Mr Justice Mostyn, a High Court Judge, has called for a cap on costs in family cases, including divorce and separations.
His comments came in the wake of extraordinarily expensive divorce proceedings in a recent divorce case this month, thought to reach up to £8 million.
The final bill for legal costs in the case was thought to sit between £7.2m and £8m. In this case, the couple are already divorced, but cannot agree a financial split.
The Law Gazette article dated 13th April 2022 described Judge Mostyn’s reaction: ‘In my opinion the lord chancellor should consider whether statutory measures could be introduced which limit the scale and rate of costs run up in these cases… steps must be taken.’
There has been concern expressed in the family court, by family solicitors and justice experts for some time over the exorbitant costs charged in such ‘apocalyptic’ divorce proceedings. This can potentially cause there to be substantially fewer assets to divide, as they are used up in legal costs, which can diminish what will be left for either party, or any children.
Judge Mostyn also stated he ‘struggled to find the language that aptly describes the exorbitance of the litigious conduct of the parties’.
You can read more on this case at the Law Gazette: Law Gazette - 8th April 2022