Guide
Do I need a solicitor to complete Form E?
Last updated 3 October 2026 · Applies to England & Wales
No - there is no requirement to use a solicitor to complete Form E. The form is designed to be filled in and signed by you personally with a statement of truth. People represent themselves in financial proceedings in England and Wales every day. Whether you should pay for advice is a different question, and it depends on how complex your finances are and possibly how contentious things have become.
What the rules require
Form E is your document, whoever helps you with it. You provide the figures, you gather the supporting documents, and you sign the statement of truth confirming that your disclosure is full and frank. Even when a solicitor prepares the form, they prepare it from what you give them - and the signature at the end is still yours.
Nothing in the court rules says you must be represented. Someone handling their own case is a “litigant in person”, and courts in England and Wales deal with self-represented parties in financial proceedings routinely. The court cares that your disclosure is complete and honest, not who typed it. You may not even be in proceedings - you may have agreed to complete Forms E voluntarily and/or within a mediation setting.
When completing it yourself is reasonable
If your finances are straightforward - employed income, a family home, ordinary bank accounts, a pension or two, everyday debts - then you may be comfortable completing it yourself. It is understanding the terminology, being thorough, and gathering the right documents that requires some thought. Those are problems of guidance and patience, not problems that need an hourly rate.
It helps that the facts the form asks for are yours: what you earn, what you own, what you owe. Nobody knows them better than you, and the duty of full and frank disclosure falls on you either way.
When you genuinely should pay for advice
Complex or disputed assets. A business that needs valuing, trusts, significant overseas assets, or a genuine suspicion that your spouse is hiding something - these justify professional advice/help, both for the form and for what comes after it.
Deciding what to ask the court for. Section 5 of Form E asks what orders you seek - property transfer, maintenance or a clean break, pension sharing. Knowing what those words mean is guidance; knowing which to ask for in your situation is legal advice, and it is the single best use of a solicitor if you can only afford limited help.
High conflict. If every exchange is a fight, having a professional between you and the other side has value beyond the paperwork.
Completing the form is not the same as knowing what to ask for
Form E discloses your finances; it does not tell you what a fair settlement looks like. A guided tool can explain every question on the form - but what you are entitled to, and what orders to seek, are questions for a family lawyer.
The middle grounds
Solicitor-or-nothing is a false choice. The realistic options look like this:
A solicitor throughout
Full representation - the right choice for complex or contentious cases, and the most expensive - but it can be very important. Form E preparation is typically billed by the hour.
Complete it yourself, have it reviewed
Many solicitors will review a completed Form E and then advise you on what would be a fair settlement / your claims, based on the financial disclosure. Doing the legwork yourself and spending your budget on advice is often the best value route.
A guided tool
DocReady walks you through Form E with plain-English questions and guidance written by a practising family law partner, then fills the official HMCTS PDF - including the Schedule of Documents. Free to start, £79 one-time. It is a form-completion tool, not legal advice.
A sensible way to decide
Ask yourself these questions. Are my finances simple enough that I can list everything I own and owe? Do I broadly know what outcome I am asking the court for? If the answer to both is yes, it is safer to complete Form E yourself - and more of your budget survives for advice on the parts of your case that genuinely need a lawyer.
Complete Form E with guidance, not guesswork.
DocReady asks plain-English questions, explains each one the way a solicitor would, and fills the official HMCTS form for you. Free to start - pay £79 only when you’re ready to download.
Start your Form E →