Working closely with you, we can help you to achieve a practical solution during divorce, dissolution or judicial separation – cost-effectively and sensitively. At this difficult time, you need straightforward advice on the legal implications of relationship breakdown and guidance throughout the process. Our divorce solicitors will work through the important issues as they arise, such as financial matters and arrangements relating to your children.

Our divorce legal advice will guide you through complex situations, whether these involve financial arrangements, international and jurisdictional issues or difficult emotional circumstances.

How can our divorce solicitors help?

Divorce, dissolution or relationship breakdown is a very difficult and sensitive time for all involved. It is natural if you are considering a divorce to worry about the future; sorting out your money, your family home and protecting your children. We want to help you decide what is right for you and understand exactly what is involved when undertaking divorce or dissolution proceedings.

Our team of divorce solicitors based in Bournemouth, Southampton and London, are members of Resolution, an association of family solicitors that are committed to resolving all family matters in a constructive and non-confrontational manner.

Relationship breakdown is never easy, but we are committed to helping you work through this difficult period. No two families’ experiences are ever the same and we always take into account your specific circumstances, offering practical help and a sympathetic ear.

Our experienced team of family divorce lawyers are happy to answer any questions you have on divorce, civil partnerships and dissolution. You can contact us via our offices in Bournemouth, Southampton and London.

What is the process for divorce?

We set out below the process for divorce. The process for divorce will differ depending on whether you started your divorce on or before 6 April 2022 or after 6 April 2022..

The process for dissolution of a civil partnership is largely the same; there will be slight differences in the information to be included in the petition and the wording but our divorce law solicitors will discuss this with you to deal with your specific needs and circumstances. You are able to issue divorce proceedings if you have been married for over a year, provided one or other of you has lived in England or Wales during the whole of the preceding year or is domiciled here. It does not matter where you were married.

What are the grounds for divorce?

Following 6 April 2022, the applicant only needs to confirm on the application form that the relationship has irretrievably broken down, without needing to provide a reason or ‘fault’ as to why. The new process has enabled parties to avoid having to assign blame to the other spouse for the marriage breakdown.

The divorce application

When you start divorce proceedings, you will need to complete a document called a divorce application and send that to the court, via the online HMCTS portal, together with your marriage certificate. The divorce application will contain basic information such as your names, addresses, ages of your children (if applicable) and confirmation, that the marriage has irretrievably broken down.

What are the stages and timeline of divorce proceedings?

After one year of marriage — either you or your spouse may start a divorce.

For divorce petitions issued on or before 5 April 2022:

A petition is completed and sent to the court together with the marriage certificate. A court fee is payable. Within a few days, the court will forward a copy of your petition to your spouse, (the “respondent”). A copy of the petition is also sent to anyone else named in an adultery petition (the “co-respondent”). If the respondent, or co-respondent, has instructed solicitors the petition may be sent to them.

From the date that these documents are received, the respondent must return the acknowledgment of service form, which accompanied the petition, to the court. This form asks whether he or she intends to defend the petition and whether any claim for costs is disputed.

If the petition becomes defended the procedure set out below does not apply. Defended divorce proceedings, resulting in a fully contested hearing are very rare. In such cases, a delay in finalising the divorce is inevitable.

If an acknowledgment of service is not returned to the court, proof that your spouse (and co-respondent) has received the petition will have to be obtained before you can take the next step. This is likely to mean that the petition must be delivered personally to your spouse. Exceptionally, a court order may be obtained stating that proof that your spouse has received the petition is not needed. This is called “dispensing with service”.

If your spouse is not defending the petition, you can apply for a decree of divorce (decree nisi) to be pronounced. We would prepare a statement in support for you to sign confirming that the contents of the petition are true. The statement will also detail any circumstances which have changed since the petition was filed. This will then be sent to the court with a request for a date for the decree nisi to be pronounced.

Once six weeks and one day have passed since the date of decree nisi, you may apply for decree absolute by sending the appropriate form to the court. If you do not apply for decree absolute, then 3 months after the date when you could first have applied for decree absolute, your spouse may do so.

For sole divorce applications issued on or after 6 April 2022:

The divorce application is prepared and submitted to the court with the marriage certificate to be ‘issued’. Divorce applications can be made by a sole applicant or applied for jointly by both spouses. A court fee is payable, The timing of this can vary depending on the court, however, it typically takes several weeks for the court to process and issue non-urgent divorce applications.

Once the application is issued by the court, the divorce application is sent to the other spouse (the respondent), The respondent has 14 days to file an Acknowledgment of Service to confirm receipt of the proceedings and whether they intend to dispute the validity of the divorce application. If the divorce application was applied for jointly then both parties must confirm receipt.

Where just one spouse applies, the other spouse can no longer dispute a divorce petition apart from in very specific circumstances, such as fraud, jurisdiction issues, or issues relating to the validity of the marriage.

There is then a minimum of 20 weeks from the date the divorce application is issued before the Conditional Order can be granted (previously known as the Decree Nisi); and

There is then a minimum of 6 weeks from the date of the Conditional Order before the Final Order of Divorce can be granted (previously known as the Decree Absolute). This is the final stage of the divorce process and will legally end your marriage.

After the decree absolute or the final order of divorce, you will be free to remarry. Note that upon remarriage you may limit important rights to claim financial provision within divorce proceedings, you should therefore always check with your divorce lawyer in good time before remarrying.

Sorting out the finances

Financial discussions do not need to be completed by the time the divorce is final. Sometimes these will still be in the early stages if the finances are complicated. However, it should at least be possible to resolve immediate problems and make temporary maintenance arrangements.

You will need to settle financial matters in relation to, for instance, the family home, any other property, maintenance, pensions and savings or investments with your partner. Usually division of finances is resolved separately but alongside the divorce or dissolution proceedings. Our divorce lawyers are able to advise you in this respect also.

For information about sorting out the finances on divorce see here.

International divorce

The breakdown of your relationship is difficult enough without the added complications of international law. If you’re considering a divorce with an international element, our specialist team of family lawyers can help guide you through the process.

Under European legislation, the English court has jurisdiction to deal with a petition for divorce (or judicial separation) if one of the following factors apply:

• You are both “habitually resident” (main place of residence) in England and Wales
• You were both last habitually resident in England and Wales, and one of you still resides there
• The respondent party to the divorce is habitually resident in England and Wales
• The applicant party to the divorce has resided in England and Wales for at least one year immediately before the application for divorce was made
• The applicant party to the divorce resided in England and Wales for at least six months immediately before the application for divorce was made and is either a national of England and Wales or is “domiciled” (place of permanent residence) there
• If your application for divorce is a joint one, either one of you is habitually resident in England and Wales
• Both of you are nationals of England and Wales or are both domiciled there

Usually, the answer to the above seven factors points to the same jurisdiction, but it is possible that more than one jurisdiction could apply. However, it could be important to one party that a particular jurisdiction is chosen (sometimes referred to as forum shopping) and therefore it can be important to act quickly and early on in the process. Our divorce solicitors will be happy to advise you in these circumstances.

Same-sex international divorce

You should also be aware that the factors mentioned above only apply to heterosexual marriages. This is due to the lack of cross-border recognition within the EU of the validity of same-sex marriages.

Most of the individual member states of the EU have their own procedure for the divorce of same-sex couples or the dissolution of civil partnerships, but not all. Therefore, some same-sex couples may have trouble divorcing in the country where they are resident.