In June 2025, we ran an independent analysis of family law firm reviews in England & Wales—specifically from Trustpilot, covering some of the largest names in the sector. This analysis spanned one full year, from June 2024 to June 2025, to identify persistent patterns and trends over time.
The aim? To find out whether divorce services were actually improving.
What we found was striking—and heading in the wrong direction.
Between April and June, negative reviews surged. For example, clients repeatedly cited excessive fees, poor communication, frequent solicitor handovers, and a lack of progress.
Many described the experience not just as frustrating, but broken.
And the trend appears to be getting worse.
What Are People Really Saying?
These family law firm reviews show consistent client concerns—ranging from poor communication to unexpected costs. Here were the top 10 recurring issues, with real client quotes:
- Poor communication
“All I got was invoices and silence. I had to chase everything.” – J.L. - High turnover of solicitors
“Four different solicitors in 12 months. No one seemed to know what was going on.” – M.T. - More pressure from billing teams than legal teams
“I heard more from the accounts team chasing money than from my solicitor.” – A.W. - Lack of case progression
“I was £10k in and had no clue what was actually happening.” – R.C. - Legal jargon with no personal relevance
“They kept telling me the law, but not what it meant for me.” – N.S. - Unqualified ‘consultants’ in free meetings
“I got a ‘free’ consultation with someone who wasn’t even legally qualified.” – T.B. - Feeling like a revenue target, not a person
“It felt like they were just going through the motions to get paid.” – L.H. - Long letters that achieve nothing
“Endless long letters, none of which moved anything forward.” – D.F. - Repeated billing for file handovers
“Every handover meant another bill just to read my file again.” – K.M. - Unnecessary court battles
“I was in court for tiny things that could’ve been solved with a conversation.” – S.R.
Frank Arndt, is founding partner of Paradigm Family Law LLP and co-founder of Whatwouldajudgesay.com.
We sat down with him to ask: what’s going wrong—and what’s the real story behind launching Whatwouldajudgesay.com?
“It started with a simple observation. For over a decade, early neutral evaluation has been available to divorcing couples—but almost no one offers it up front. Why? Because it doesn’t generate ongoing fees. And as a result, it ends the argument quickly…”
“We’re not here to attack law. We’re here to challenge the business model that rewards delay. In contrast, traditional hourly rate firms earn their income mainly from two places: writing letters and going to court. If you stop either of those, the clock—and the cash—stops too.”
Is Paradigm Part of the Problem—or the Solution?
By choosing Whatwouldajudgesay.com you’re also working with Paradigm Family Law LLP —our trusted legal partner.
Recognised as one of the UK’s top boutique family law firms, Paradigm brings award-winning expertise to every case.
Legal oversight is led by founding partner Frank Arndt, ensuring your case is handled with the same rigour and strategic care as a high-value dispute.
Why Fixed Fees Matter When You’re Already Under Pressure
Frank explains:
“Paradigm was the first family law firm in the country to offer fixed fees not just for divorce, but also for financial remedy cases. This pioneering approach earned the firm the prestigious Law Society Excellence Award just a few years later.
“The fixed fee model was a breakthrough because we saw how destructive the hourly model was to families in crisis. If you’re charging to write five versions of the same letter, you’re not helping anyone.”
Two Firms. One Ethos. Different Clients.
While both Paradigm Family Law LLP and Whatwouldajudgesay.com were founded by the same legal minds, but they serve very different needs.
Paradigm Family Law handles complex, high-stakes cases where deep legal strategy is essential and also for those people that wish to use the traditional approach on a fixed fee basis.
Whatwouldajudgesay.com, by contrast, was created to solve a specific and widespread problem: how to get a fast, clear answer on asset division without going to court. Frank explains:
“whatwouldajudgesay.com was launched as a standalone platform because I wanted people to get an answer—fast. Without court. Without cost spirals. And without all the drama. We wanted it to be laser-focused on what people actually wanted to know. It’s very niche—because all the other stuff is just noise.”
“When you engage with whatwouldajudgesay.com, you get the best of both worlds. Paradigm Family Law supports legal rigour and strategic oversight for whatwouldajudgesay.com clients.
A Fixed-Fee Revolution: How Paradigm Changed the Game
The big differentiator between Paradigm and Whatwouldajudgesay.com clients are;
Paradigm clients can opt for fixed fees to address complex, high-net-worth or international disputes—trusts, offshore assets, cross-border relocations.
In contrast, whatwouldajudgesay.com offers a fixed fee package but is built for the average divorce within England and Wales, where matters are usually more straightforward —and don’t let any lawyer convince you otherwise.”
So no—Paradigm is not part of the problem. They’re part of the solution.
The Core Problem: Profit Before Progress
Traditional law firms have access to the same legal tools as we do—early neutral evaluations, private FDRs, arbitration etc. But based on consistent patterns in family law firm reviews UK, it’s clear they often only offer these tools reluctantly—why settle in six weeks when you can generate six months of fees?
“The truth is, Whatwouldajudgesay.com hasn’t reinvented the wheel. We’ve just pointed to where it is…
It’s like the pharmacist offering the expensive pill, knowing there’s a cheaper one that works just as well, but doesn’t earn them as much.”
At Whatwouldajudgesay.com, we took a different approach. Instead, we focused on one specific service, found a credible source to answer the question, priced it up as a fixed fee, and guaranteed a clear outcome in six weeks. Simple.
A Clear Answer to the Only Question That Matters
We provide a clear answer to the one question that matters most: “How do we untangle our financial life together after all these years?”
The judge-led opinion is front and centre—where it always should be. This provides a straightforward solution on how your financial assets—the marital pot—should be divided.
So How Do Traditional Law Firms Create Fees?
Frank says that the traditional model makes money in two key ways:
- Writing long letters
- Going to court
1.The Letter Loop
Most traditional solicitors bill in “units”—each worth six minutes of their time. That means you’re often paying hundreds before anything meaningful happens. This means that each unit = 6 minutes of time, typically worth around £20 based on an average hourly rate of £200.
It’s shocking how much one letter can cost—here’s the breakdown:
- Drafting a 5-page letter: 5 units
- Emailing the client: 2 units
- Reviewing feedback: 3–4 units
- Revising and re-sending: 3+ units
- Logging internal notes: 2–3 units
- Reading the opponent’s reply: 5+ units
“Before the letter even leaves the firm, the client is 15–20 units in (£300–£400), and nothing has progressed.”
When solicitors switch mid-case, clients are billed again just for someone new to re-read the file. In one case, five solicitors cycled through a single 350-page file. That’s thousands spent simply on “catching up.”
2.The Courtroom Carousel: When Litigation Becomes the Product
Issuing proceedings and going to court for each minor issue drives fees even faster:
- Lawyers are incentivised to make applications, win or lose
- Small combative points are litigated to justify attendance
- Every hearing preparation cycle includes bundles, statements, and correspondence
“London is full of this strategy—make applications, argue in court, win or lose—it’s all billable. Litigation becomes the product. Progress becomes secondary.”
Why Whatwouldajudgesay.com Is Different?
Stop Paying for Delay. Start Paying for Direction.
We are laser-focused on the only question that matters:
How would a judge divide our assets in divorce?
Most importantly, we offer:
- Speed: A written judicial opinion in 6 weeks.
- Clarity: No hourly fees, no hidden costs.
- Focus: We resolve rather than litigate.
- Judge-level insight: Tailored to your situation and region.
Frank says: “As we’ve seen from the reviews, some traditional law firms focus on all the other irrelevant noise. It’s like going to the garage for an engine issue and being charged for car washes, tires, and roof polish—but your engine still doesn’t work.”
We don’t waste time polishing the surface—we fix the engine.
Who are the judges?
Through Paradigm Family Law LLP, we instruct experienced senior counsel who sit as deputy district judges or private FDR judges. Law firms all work with their preferred chambers, but we use them smarter and with intent:
- We know which judges are best for which types of cases.
- We tailor our referrals based on geography (e.g., Yorkshire vs London).
- We quality check judge-led opinions through Paradigm Family Law solicitors.
- We stay current with case law that affects outcomes.
Frank says: “It’s not about access. It’s about judgment. Knowing what opinion is useful, and what’s just jargon.”
What You’ll Know at the End (That You Didn’t Know at the Start)
By the end of our process, you’ll know:
- Whether you’ll need to sell the family home
- If spousal or child support is likely — and roughly how much
- Whether it makes more sense to divide pensions or pay a lump sum instead
- What are the implications of an inheritance?
- How a judge would split the assets based on your real financial disclosure
- What to financially expect (and not expect) from your spouse legally
- If you’re being realistic — or wasting time and money fighting a losing battle
- The likely outcome — in plain English — based on current case law.
You won’t need four solicitors and 350 pages of file notes to find this out.
In other words, you’ll get it in six weeks. For a fixed fee — or your money back. Included in your fee is a debrief from a qualified solicitor at Paradigm Family Law. They will talk you through the judge’s opinion, explain it in plain English, and help you explore questions and next steps — easy!
Who We Serve and When to Reach You…
Many clients don’t realise they’re in trouble until they’re £10k deep and no further forward. By then, they’ve burned through savings and feel trapped.
We want to catch people before they enter the litigation spiral. But even if they’re deep in it, they can still benefit from a judge’s view—a fresh, focused perspective.
Common Scenarios Where We Can Help
Our service is designed for a wide range of situations:
- Couples considering separation but unsure if they can afford to divorce
- Individuals already in litigation who want a second opinion
- People living together, unmarried, needing financial clarity
- Spouses stuck in a stalemate with lawyers—seeking to unlock progress
- Anyone who wants a clear, financial remedy solution with a reasoned view from a judge without going to court
For example, we’ve seen clients use this service to step away from drawn-out solicitor battles, cut through months of impasse, and reset discussions with clarity.
Whether you’re just starting to think about separation or already knee-deep in legal bills—clarity changes everything.
The Takeaway
We’re not niche.
We’re not small.
We’re laser-focused and experienced-driven.
We’re outcome-led.
We’re early resolution, finally made accessible.
“We haven’t reinvented the wheel. We’ve just shown people where it’s been hiding all along.”
We’re using easy, secure systems that are intuitive. Yes—we’re using artificial intelligence and machine learning to streamline the process. But that’s so you’re not paying for manpower—you’re paying for brainpower to slice through the noise.
What you’re seeing here is innovation made real—today. It’s not the future. It’s here. And it’s working.
Need Help?
If you’re facing separation or divorce and need clear, authoritative guidance on your financial future — start with us.
Our fixed-fee model and expert-led process make it easier to move forward with confidence.
👉 Begin with our free assessment, or contact us directly on +44 (0)20 3951 0212 or hello@whatwouldajudgesay.com.
Read more on our essential divorce guide.