Since the "no-fault divorce" reforms took effect in England and Wales in 2022, applying for a divorce online yourself has become genuinely simple in straightforward cases — so the honest answer is: not always. Whether a solicitor is worth the cost depends far less on the divorce itself and far more on what needs to be agreed alongside it.
The legal act of ending a marriage — the "divorce order" — is a single online application, a £612 court fee, and a waiting period of at least 20 weeks before you can apply for the final order. If both parties agree the marriage has broken down, there's very little for a solicitor to add to this specific step.
The real complexity, and the real cost, almost always sits in two separate issues: dividing finances (property, pensions, savings, debt) and arrangements for children. Neither is automatically resolved by the divorce order itself — you need a separate financial consent order to make a financial agreement legally binding, and this is where solicitor input tends to matter most, because an informal agreement with no consent order can be reopened by either party years later.
Try our divorce cost calculator to see a realistic range for your situation.
If you and your ex-partner agree on everything — the divorce, the money, and any children's arrangements — a DIY or mediated approach with a solicitor only for the final consent order is usually enough. If either side disagrees on anything financial, or there's a pension, business, or property involved, get advice before signing anything.