You may be requested to complete a Form E (also known as a Financial Statement) when dealing with financial matters after separation. This is usually alongside divorce proceedings where parties need to reach a financial settlement. The Form E sets out clearly what your financial position is, in terms of capital, pensions and income.

In order for a Family Lawyer to advise you properly as to a likely and fair outcome for you full financial disclosure will be required. This allows your lawyer to review your financial position and also the financial position of your ex partner/spouse so that you can make an informed decision about your financial future.

We would strongly recommend that you speak with one of our specialist family lawyers who can assist you with the process of collating the relevant financial documentation and the completion of the form itself.

When looking to collate the information that you will need you should look at gathering the following for yourself (where applicable):

  1. Current valuation of the family home (it is often a good idea to obtain 3 estate agents’ market appraisals)
  2. Current mortgage statement
  3. Last 12 months’ statements for all bank accounts, in joint names and your sole name
  4. Latest statements for any savings and investments showing current balances
  5. Details of any liabilities, e.g. loans or credit cards
  6. Cash Equivalent Transfer Value for all pensions (CETV) (you often need to specifically request this from your pension company)
  7. Latest P60 and last three months’ payslips
  8. Details of any items individually worth more than £500
  9. Details of any business interest including last 2 years of accounts
  10. Schedule of your current outgoings

The list above is not exhaustive and there may be other financial assets that you have that need to be included. It is therefore important to review the form in full and obtain legal advice on this. The form can be daunting but we are here to assist you through this process.

Our specialist family lawyers can review your specific circumstances, and we recommend obtaining advice at the earliest opportunity.  We offer a free exploratory call so that we can match your specific needs with the right person in our family team.  For more information or to arrange an appointment with a member of our Family Team, please contact us on 01206 764477. The team can offer advice at one of our offices in Colchester, Chelmsford,  Frinton-on-Sea, Ipswich or Bury St Edmunds, or by telephone or video appointment. We are also pleased to be able to support Blue Light members and offer a discount on our initial fixed fee meeting.