Divorce made cheap: cut the lawyers and DIY

A DIY divorce service set up by a Limerick woman with a €600 fixed fee is attracting increased business as it emerged yesterday that solicitors are asking thousands of euro to do the same work.

Mother-of-three, Colette Fogarty decided to read up on divorce law after getting quotations of up to €5,000 two years ago to handle her own divorce.

Since then she has handled up to 40 other divorce cases at a fraction of the going rate charged by solicitors. And the numbers engaging her services are increasing.

For a fixed €600 fee she does all the necessary paper work, before lodging documents in court.

Ms Fogarty Colette runs Celtic Divorce Services from her home in Kilmurry, Clare and in the past two years has been getting more divorce cases from all over the country to process.

She said: “I deal with couples who want amicable settlements where they are in agreement on issues like custody of children, finance arrangements, property and pensions. My cases on average take about six weeks to complete.”

After discussions with clients, she processes all the necessary paper work enabling a couple secure a divorce decree in court.

Ms Fogarty said: “I got divorced three years ago and I was shocked at the amounts quoted to me by solicitors with fees ranging from €3,000 to €5,000 even though it was an amicable divorce.”

She then decided to go to the local library and got all the available text books on divorce law and procedures.

Armed with the necessary knowledge she processed all the necessary paperwork for her own divorce.

Ms Fogarty then decided to help others. “My service is like a social one as I want to help people having been there myself,” she said.