consent order 17 years later

i was emotionally broken and left the marraige ,i left the house and my wife with her pension and minimal mortgage to pay.in order to best provide for my son.i took on a large debt to provide a second home and try to maximise the return for my son long term.my wife "sorted" the divorce yet didnt get the financial order signed off..17 later her pension is worth half a mill and her house.the one she bought after selling the marital home is worth 425k..i live in a rental property and am unemployed..only now i realise i was over generous..so i want to sue..she wont go to meditation or disclose her wealth..is it worth me persuing.the lawyer has indicated at least £15k cost..and all i have left is my pension pot worth abour £40k...please advise..paul

You indicate that she is very substantially better off than you financially - particularly regarding property and pensions.

As there is no existing financial Consent Order then you are entitled to seek a fair divorce settlement. As she will not disclose or attend mediation it really means you will have to go to court.

The good news is that you do not need to use a solicitor and certainly do not need to spend £15K. You can easily spend that much if you wish - but you don't need to.

You can use a service such as that provided by our Divorce Consultants and get an settlement from the family court at a much lower cost - perhaps spending just £1k to £3K depending on whether or not you use a barrister for the main hearing.

Please call our helpline in the first week in January and we can explain your options once we better understand the fuller facts or your case.