The divorce process begins when you or your partner file an application stating why your marriage has irretrievably broken down. There is only one ground for divorce, which is proved by one of five facts.
Currently, there is no such thing as a no-fault divorce in England and Wales.
The grounds for ending a civil partnership are the same as above, with the exception of adultery.
An unopposed divorce takes approximately 3-6 months. This is from the date that you or your partner’s petition is filed with the court to the pronouncement of Decree Nisi.
Within divorce law, there are two types of decree (court order):
The applicant then has to wait a minimum of six weeks and one day before they can apply for the Decree Absolute. Upon pronouncement of the Decree Absolute, your marriage is formally dissolved.
If you are in a civil partnership, you will follow a similar process as above to obtain a dissolution order. The court makes a conditional order of dissolution (similar to a Decree Nisi). The dissolution will be made final six weeks from the date of the conditional order (similar to a Decree Absolute).
It is often resolving the issues that arise from a separation or civil partnership dissolution that can result in lengthy court cases. If your relationship breakdown is amicable, you may find that you are able to agree a way forward without the intervention of the court.
Wherever possible, we work with you to try and avoid lengthy and expensive legal proceedings. Our experienced divorce solicitors include collaboratively trained lawyers. They are specialists in helping you and your partner resolve resulting issues through negotiated agreement.
Our divorce solicitors can offer specialist family legal advice on all aspects of divorce. We will discuss the options with you and tailor our advice to achieve the best outcome for you and your family, guiding you through the practical and legal considerations of:
Our team of family lawyers are all members of Resolution, a group that promotes a non-confrontational approach to resolving family disputes.
Not an easy time for me but Lisa Payne just made it lots better, she really needs a lot of praise. Big thank you to you Lisa.
Richard is honest in his description of the divorce proceedings. His work was exceptional at all times. Thank you.
Very professional and excellent full package of service.
Excellent and prompt service, I felt I was in expert hands.
Excellent, friendly, helpful service, which gave me great advice and helped me meet my end goal. 100% would recommend and use again.