Court costs

Would really love to post my situation on here to get some opinions but I suspect my stbx gets informtaion off this site, as he is self-repping, so he would know it was me if I did post anything.

I am on legal aid and he is self-repping. Due to his delays and silly game playing, we have now been in court 5 times and my legal costs are mounting. He seems to think that he won't have to pay anything and that I will be left crippled with a large debt from legal fees. He told the children he was doing it on purpose to try and ruin me.

My solicitor has warned him she will be filing a claim at the final hearing for him to pay for wasted court costs and legal fees for at least two hearings that were required because of his inability to provide the information required in court orders.

There is now a penal notice attached to the latest order so, hopefully, this will force him to stop messing around.

What normally happens in situations like this regarding the legal and court costs? Does the judge normally split the costs or at least make the respondent pay some of the costs. He's paid nothing so far as he does not have legal represenatation at all.

While you go through the process if one person wastes the costs of the other your solicitor would ask for wasted costs at each stage, the judge will probably say costs are to be reserved, this means the judge will decide what if any costs are to paid right at the end, usually the final hearing.

Costs orders are fairly unusual, even more so when you are publicly funded and he acts alone, if however a penal notice is attached a judge obviously thinks he is being awkward to say the least.

What will happen depends on his actions and his ability to pay the costs.

These orders are not always a good idea.

For example you end up with costs of 10k, your solicitor asks for full costs, the judge is minded to agree, but the judge feels maintenance or a lump sum should be paid, or both, ordering costs reduces his ability to pay the lump sum or the maintenance, it all depends on his income and assets.

This is something best talked about with your solicitor, he/she will know your case very well, we can only guess.