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Form D81 is the statement of financial information used to support an application for a consent order. It gives the court a summary of both people’s finances and the proposed outcome. Form D81 is separate from the draft consent order: completing it does not itself make a financial agreement legally binding.

Financial dispute resolution, often shortened to FDR, is an appointment in financial proceedings intended to help the two people reach a settlement. An FDR appointment is different from the final hearing, where a judge decides the financial arrangements if agreement has not been reached. The court’s instructions explain which papers you need to prepare.

A Section 25 statement is a witness statement used in financial proceedings to give your factual account of relevant circumstances. It should use your own words and describe evidence, rather than argue what the court should decide. A Section 25 statement is different from Form E and a position statement. Follow the court’s instructions about what is required.

ES1 and ES2 are standard documents used to summarise a financial case. ES1 is a case summary; ES2 is a table bringing together both sides’ assets and income, with disputed figures identified. These documents help organise the information for financial hearings. Use the current templates and follow the court’s instructions.

Court directions are instructions from the court about how a case must be prepared or progressed. They can specify documents, actions, who must act and deadlines. Read court directions in the original order or notice, including any later changes; a general checklist cannot tell you everything required in your case.

A mediation information and assessment meeting, or MIAM, is an initial meeting about mediation and other ways of resolving a family dispute. A MIAM helps assess whether mediation may be suitable. Whether you must attend a MIAM before a particular court application, or qualify for an exemption, depends on the application and your circumstances.

A litigant in person is someone representing themselves in court without a lawyer acting for them in the proceedings. Being a litigant in person does not stop you getting legal advice on particular questions or stages. Official guidance explains what to expect, how to prepare and where you may be able to find support.

Financial disclosure means providing information about income, assets, debts and pensions, together with supporting documents. Financial disclosure helps build a clearer picture of each person’s finances. The information and evidence required depend on the process you are following and any court directions; Form E is one way of presenting that information in financial proceedings.

Form E is a detailed financial statement used in financial-order proceedings. It records information about income, property, savings, debts, pensions and financial needs, with supporting documents. Form E is different from Form D81, which supports a consent-order application. Use the current official Form E and its notes, and check what your court instructions require.

A consent order is a court order approving an agreed financial arrangement when you divorce or end a civil partnership. A draft agreement becomes legally binding through court approval, and the consent order takes effect after the final divorce order. A solicitor can help draft or check it. Preparing financial information alone does not create a consent order.

A chronology is a timeline of relevant events in date order. In a financial case, a chronology can include key relationship dates and steps in the proceedings. Keep the account neutral and clearly identify disputed dates or events. Follow any court instructions about the chronology needed for your hearing.

A court bundle is the set of documents prepared for a hearing, organised with an index and page numbers. A court bundle is a selected set of relevant papers, rather than your whole document library. Its contents and format must follow the applicable rules and the court’s directions; requirements can differ between financial and children’s proceedings.