Long one - please help!!

zante90 | 15:04 Mon 07th May 2007 | Family & Relationships

3 Answers

Hi,

I am going to court tomorrow for a final hearing relating to ancilliary relief with my ex-wife. I discovered on Friday that my legal aid will not be funded and I cannot afford to pay my now ex-solicitor. I have no idea how the law works and am going to have to represent myself... Any advice on the following would be much appreciated...

1) My ex-wife and I bought the property using a gift of �85k from her mother on the condition that she have a self-contained unit within the property and contribute to household expenses. Initially (as shown in conveyancing files) it was her intention to have a Declaration of Trust drawn up, however this was never done. I was not party to the discussions and only remember a conversation between my then wife and M-i-l stating that a gift would be better as it would then be considered a potentially exempt transfer in the event of her death (she is not likely to pop off in the next 7 years!!). However, she is now arguing that she has a beneficial interest in the property which basically means that there is very little equity in the property.

2) My ex-wife and I have numerous debts in both sole and joint names. These amount to somewhere in the region of �65,000. There are three credit card debts in my sole name amounting to �15,000 - however the statements show that �12,000 of this amount has been spent on property renovations, my ex's hair (�695 in 9 months...) and a car which she has subsequently sold at (allegedly) �1,750 less than the current market value. Her current partner (with whom she was having an affair) is a car dealer and it would seem strange for her to lose out.

I would be so grateful of any advice you can offer. I'm not trying to rip anyone off or get revenge - I simply don't want to end up with nothing but a pile of debt! I'm absolutely dreading tomorrow so any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance