Divorce Solicitors: The Divorce Process
No-fault divorce arrived in 2020.
Our specialist divorce solicitors and family mediators are experts in navigating the reformed system – and want to help you calmly and confidently move through all the stages of your divorce.
We have divorce solicitors based near Brighton and Eastbourne in East Sussex and in Tunbridge Wells in Kent. As well as having meeting space available in London.
Yet we work almost entirely by phone and online video meetings with clients across the UK. This is very convenient while you juggle busy lives at a difficult time.
Key Facts about No-Fault Divorce
The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 has removed the need to allocate blame for the collapse of a relationship.
Our divorce solicitors, Linda Lamb and Tanya Foster, can guide you through the new system – do get in touch to find out more. Here are some key facts:
There is no need to provide evidence of ‘conduct’ or ‘separation’ facts, simply a statement of irretrievable breakdown of the marriage or civil partnership.
For the first time, couples can submit a joint application for divorce, dissolution or separation and they are equally responsible for their application. There is a pathway for sole applications and it is possible to switch the application from joint to sole.
The ability of one party to challenge a divorce or dissolution has been limited, thereby preventing domestic abusers from exercising further coercive control over their victim.
A new minimum time frame of 26 weeks has been introduced to ensure a period of reflection and give couples time to agree practical and financial arrangements for the future.
Legal language has been simplified. ‘Petition’ has become ‘Application’; ‘Petitioner’ has become ‘Applicant’; ‘Defended’ has become ‘Disputed’; ‘Decree Nisi’ has become ‘Conditional Order’ and ‘Decree Absolute’ has become ‘Final Order’.
Our divorce solicitors are committed to seeking non-court resolutions that prioritise the wellbeing of both children and couples.
Finance settlement
To finalise the finances, an application for divorce needs to be in place.
Ideally, you need to agree the finances, convert the agreement into a consent order and, after the conditional order in the divorce has been granted, you can submit the financial consent order to the court.
If you cannot agree, then the court will have to make the decisions for you. However, this is costly and takes time.
If you do not want to divorce right now, you can have a separation agreement drawn up.
Our divorce solicitors have created these useful factsheets… Take a look…
Divorce & Finance: A Case Study
Problem
The client was a woman who applied for a divorce after her husband had an affair. He was a company director with a six-figure salary plus substantial annual bonus. My client was an ex-secretary who had not worked since their teenage children were born.
Solution
As divorce solicitors we often recommend mediation, however, in this case, the mediation sessions broke down because the husband was not prepared to pay maintenance for her and their children. This meant the case had to go to court.
Outcome
The court decided in my client’s favour and the husband was told to pay child support, school fees and four years’ maintenance for my client, while she trained and established herself as a physiotherapist.
As divorce solicitors, we believe that an important part of our role is to give our clients moral support and encouragement. In this instance, there was a great deal of pressure from the husband.
When I first met my client, she lacked assertiveness and felt trapped in a position of no power. At the end she had turned into a completely different woman – confident, self-reliant and empowered.
“I highly recommend Linda Lamb from LSL Family Law if you are looking for divorce solicitors. Getting divorced isn’t an experience any of us really wants to go through. Linda is kind, calm, compassionate and an expert in her field – no better person to guide you through the process.”
Tracey in Brighton, February 2022
