The breakdown of a marriage or civil partnership can be a difficult and upsetting time. Our solicitors will provide you with advice in a clear, concise but also understanding manner.
What happens next?
We appreciate that the breakdown of a marriage or civil partnership can be extremely difficult and that you will have many questions and concerns. At a first meeting your solicitor will provide you with all the information that you need in relation to a possible divorce or civil partnership dissolution, in order to enable you to make informed decisions about the best way for you and your family to move forward.
At an initial consultation our solicitors will also discuss with you any issues concerning children and financial matters, both of which can be of great concern during a difficult time. Depending on your precise circumstances we will often encourage communication rather than confrontation. We will explore with you options such as mediation to try and resolve issues concerning children or financial matters, however, in some circumstances court proceedings will be required, possibly urgently, and we will not hesitate to go to court and protect your interests where required.
Your JWP Divorce Solicitors can help you with
Divorce
Civil Partnership Dissolution
Arrangements for Children
Financial Matters
How much will it cost?
We offer fixed price options for a divorce or civil partnership dissolution (this does not include the cost of dealing with children or financial issues), as follows:
Divorce – Petitioner (where you are the person issuing the divorce) £650 +VAT
Divorce – Respondent (where your spouse is the person issuing the divorce) £350 +VAT
Frequently Asked Questions
In April 2022 the law was changed to remove the ability of either partner to challenge a divorce, except in very specific limited circumstances. The requirement to assign blame or fault was also removed, with the intention that divorce should become a less acrimonious process.
The new law introduced a minimum period of 20 weeks between the start of proceedings and application for conditional order (previously called a decree nisi). Following the pronouncement of the conditional order the petitioner must wait a further 6 weeks before they can apply for the final order of divorce (previously called Decree Absolute. In practice, that means a divorce is likely to take at least 7 to 8 months.
It is not a requirement that you have a solicitor, however, we would certainly advise that you do so. Our solicitors are specialists in all areas of family law and can provide expert, professional advice and representation. Whilst we appreciate that costs are often an issue, obtaining specialist legal advice with regard to your divorce and other matters which may need to be resolved will ensure that matters are dealt with properly and may well save you money in the long run.
You may very well still benefit from obtaining legal advice at this stage. Our team of family solicitors will discuss all options with you, including marriage counselling, if appropriate and will discuss with you alternatives such as simply separating or obtaining a Judicial Separation and will take you through the legal implications of all of the options available to you.
Usually it is not necessary for either party to attend court in relation to the divorce. If there are disputes concerning arrangements for children or financial issues arising from the breakdown of the marriage and these cannot be resolved by agreement then it may be necessary to attend court.
It is very important to be aware that until your divorce is concluded then the law still considers you to be married, even if you are separated. In the event that you or your spouse die whilst you are married then if you do not have a Will your spouse will inherit some, and possibly all, of your estate. It is very important therefore to make a Will upon separation, which reflects your up to date wishes.
If you already have a Will then the terms of that Will should still be effective, even if it makes provision for your spouse. It may well therefore be appropriate in these circumstances to have an up to date Will prepared, which will override any previous Will.
We also have experts specialising in Wills, and we can prepare a will for a fixed price.
Our team of specialist family solicitors are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to provide you with expert advice and representation.
You can call us on Out of Office Hours Number 07876 505336
For non-emergencies and generic enquiries please contact us via the form on our contact page.