“Since I began my career I have always worked hard on providing my clients with the clearest overview of the process as possible, to make sure that they know what to expect when they go through a divorce. One of the biggest misconceptions that I often come across when dealing with a divorce case, is that a lot of clients believe that once a divorce has been finalised it then brings an end to the financial claims that they can bring against each other. However, this is not the case and below I will set out three ways that financial claims can end:

· A financial claim can end by agreement to the terms of an order (this is known as a consent order) and the court approving the terms of that order

· A final order made following the determination by the court during financial remedy proceedings

· If you have remarried after your divorce has been finalised and you don’t have a consent order of a financial order and you haven’t applied for the financial order then you will have lost the right to make a financial claim. 

The above three points make it essential to understand why speaking to a lawyer about having a consent order is important. Consent orders will give you a sense of certainty that in the event of a financial windfall you cannot be subject to a claim in the future. A consent order will also be able to give you a sense of clarity as they are there to prevent any confusion when it comes to jointly owned property further down the line.