Getting Divorced in Australia - Need UK solicitor to help split UK Pension

[Pegs]

I have been married for 25 years and we have lived in Perth, Australia for the last 7 years.  We both have citizenship and intend to remain here.  Unfortunately, we have grown apart and in April 2018, separated amicably.  We have agreed terms of a Financial settlement which includes allocating my soon to be ex-wife a significant portion of my Group Personal Pension plan with Standard Life in the UK.  On contacting them to determine the necessary wording of an Australian Court's consent order, Standard Life wrote to state that they would not recognise the Australian order and I would need a Court Order issued by a UK Court.

Does anyone have any experience of splitting of UK based pension as part of an Australian, obtaining a UK Court Order and, importantly, recommending a UK Solicitor who has relevant experience. 

The one I contacted online from a Google advert was quoting GBP3,000 - GBP5,000 (!!) 

Any help would be appreciated

 

 

Edited December 24, 2019 by Pegs

[Marisawright]

That doesn't surprise me.   When I split from my partner in Australia, it was amicable and we did a DIY separation which was easy - except for the property/assets aspect, for which we had to use a solicitor.    As we were de facto, it couldn't be rubber-stamped in the Family Court, it had to go to the Supreme Court , even though we had already agreed on everything (the rules have changed since then).  We got stung for $5,000 and that was a long time ago.  I think their hourly rate was something like $350 an hour!  I expect UK ones are much the same.