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Following divorce day – which in our opinion should be renamed divorce month – the internet is awash with articles advising those couples who have decided to end their marriages on a plethora of topics; from how to end a marriage amicably to surviving as a single parent. What surprises us at Quickie Divorce, though, is the distinct lack of advice that is being given to those couples who, having recognised that they can agree on how to split their assets and new childcare arrangements, have chosen to avoid unnecessary costs, refrain from instructing a solicitor and pursue a DIY divorce. Yes, there is the odd article lurking in the internet’s deepest recesses, but the vast majority of these contain only generic information relating to the divorce process itself and provide very little beyond that. As a result, Quickie Divorce has decided to prepare a few posts within which we address some of the questions we are often asked by our clients whilst their divorce is being finalised, starting with how to obtain financial information from an estranged spouse. This may seem unusual as all of our clients are pursuing uncontested divorces and will already have agreed the division of their finances and there should, you would assume, be no need to obtain such information. As we strongly advise all of our customers to obtain a Consent Order to make the agreement legally binding and prevent either spouse from claiming any of the other’s assets following the divorce, coupled with the fact that such an agreement simply cannot be compiled without this information, it is absolutely essential that many of our customers gather this information. This is not a problem if the couple are still on good terms, but as they will have often grown apart over time and the prospect of contacting an estranged spouse and asking for, say, the value of their home or pension can be intimidating, many of our customers are unsure of where to start or how to phrase the necessary questions. There is no right way of requesting this information and the petitioner should use whichever medium they are most comfortable, whether it be email, text message, a phone call and so on. All that Quickie Divorce would advise is that the information is requested in a calm manner. When deciding whether or not to take a formal or informal tone, the individual should consider their relationship with their former spouse. If the couple remain on good terms, then an informal approach is perfectly acceptable, whereas formal communication is advised if the relationship is more strained. Many also feel that their spouse will be unwilling to disclose this information and whilst only turns out to be true in a minority of cases, it is still extremely worrying for the affected party. Anyone that finds themselves in this situation would do well to remember that the consent order will be just as beneficial to their spouse as it will to them. It protects both parties’ future assets and it is therefore in their best interest to disclose the required data. Once the relevant spouse has been advised of this, they will more than likely hand over the information and the couple’s divorce can be finalised.