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Our knowledge and experience of divorce law allows us to provide a world class service to all of our clients, regardless of the degree of complexity. We will provide you with expert guidance to enable you to make the most informed decision. Our Family Law Solicitors in London will tailor their service to your situation, help establish your goals, implement plans and guide you throughout the entire process.
A divorce means that a marriage has legally ended. However, should both partners reconcile in the future, they can choose to remarry if they wish to do so. When a couple get divorced, they will need to make arrangements for the division of their finances and assets, including their home. When there are children involved, they must also decide where they will live and with whom, as well as agree to contact arrangements and provide for ongoing financial support.
A divorce is a legal process that is made up of a number of different stages:
It usually takes between 8 to 10 months for a divorce to be finalised, although the exact time scale will depend on your individual circumstances. Generally speaking, an undefended divorce will be quicker and less costly for both sides than a divorce that is contested. Matters will usually be resolved faster if the lines of communication remain open with your former partner and you are able to use non-confrontational dispute resolution to reach agreements rather than having to go to court.
There is a requirement in English law that in order to obtain a divorce, a couple must have been married for a period of at least one year. The government’s new No-Fault divorce reforms mean that you do not have to provide a reason for the divorce.
The final divorce settlement is an entirely separate process from the granting of an absolute decree. It determines what will happen to your home, your finances and most importantly, your children. It will include details of where they will live and with whom, as well as how they will be supported financially.
At Ackroyd Legal, we believe in encouraging non-confrontational dispute resolution wherever possible in order to keep conflict to a minimum in divorce cases, and provide you with the fastest and most cost-effective solutions to enable you to move on after your divorce.
Mediation in divorce is a process that is designed to help couples and families when relationships have broken down. It helps them to communicate effectively in order to reach an agreement on important decisions and is ideal for couples going through a fairly amicable split and for those wishing to remain a family unit for the benefit of their children. Couples are usually required to consider using mediation before going to court. However, there are exceptions for situations where this would be impractical, such as in cases of domestic abuse.
Ackroyd Legal operates a network of experienced family mediators providing comprehensive mediation information; contact us to seek legal advice.. The next step will involve meeting together with your mediator. The length of the sessions and how many you will need depends on your individual situation. However, it is advisable to allow around two hours for an appointment. Your mediator will guide both of you through this process.
When an agreement is reached, the family mediator is responsible for recording this, as well as the financial details that you have both disclosed. As long as you are both satisfied with this, it will be reflected in the final order of the court.
Mediation involves meeting together with a professional family mediator. The role of the family mediator is not to try to resolve the issues and provide independent legal advice that has caused the relationship to break down but to help the couple reach mutually acceptable agreements. The family mediator is impartial to the proceedings and will help to keep discussions on track and resolve any disagreements. Mediation is usually much more cost-effective than going to court and enables both partners to have a say in the difficult decisions that need to be made.
Sometimes, couples find that family mediation is not appropriate to their situation, and there are other options available if this is the case. Collaborative family law can be particularly useful in complex cases, e.g. when there are a number of jointly owned assets or properties. This is different from mediation, where the mediator is obliged to remain neutral.
In collaborative family law, both you and your qualified collaborative law solicitor will attend a series of meetings with your ex-partner, whose lawyer will also be present. By using collaborative family law to try and reach a settlement, you will each have the benefit and reassurance of having your solicitor with you in order to represent your interests and offer legal advice on each of the options.
Before the meetings can take place, all information and relevant documents must be disclosed. A participation agreement is signed, in which you both agree not to begin court proceedings. It is at this point that the discussions can begin, and your specialist family law solicitor will be able to guide you through the process. Any agreements reached will be reflected in the final order of the court.
It is important to consider this very carefully because if you attempt to reach a resolution through collaborative law and are unsuccessful, neither of you will be able to use the same Solicitors in subsequent court proceedings. When you do come to court, binding decisions regarding your assets, finances and, most importantly, the future of your children will be made by the judge.
Our team of expert divorce lawyers have over 300 years of combined experience in divorce proceedings, handling high profile cases from celebrities to members of parliament and heads of blue-chip companies.Also, we assist with the joint divorce application, sole application, fair settlement, divorce papers & financial settlements,
We will work with you to achieve the best outcome as quickly as possible, helping you to fully understand your rights and responsibilities regarding wealth, multiple assets and inheritance, both in the present and for the future. If you know or suspect that your former partner has failed to disclose some of their assets, we can advise you on the options available.
The divorce settlement is a critical area of the negotiation process, and for high-net-worth individuals, this can be the most complex aspect to deal with when a marriage comes to an end. There may be a number of factors to take into account, for example, property, business interests, pensions, shares, offshore assets, inheritance and long-term provision for your children. Your expert divorce Solicitor will provide clear advice and guidance in order to achieve a fair and realistic outcome.
The arrangements for the children are often at the heart of a divorce, and for high-net-worth clients, there may be additional issues to consider, such as where they will be educated and how the ongoing school fees will be paid.
There may also be the question of relocation with the resident parent or of the children being taken on overseas trips, both of which will usually require the consent of both parents and may, therefore, need to form part of the negotiations. We will advise and guide you through such arrangements, helping you to look after your children’s interests as well as your own.
Your specialist family solicitor will be able to advise you on non-confrontational dispute resolution, which is designed to help to divorce couples work together to negotiate mutually-acceptable agreements on the contentious aspects of their divorce. This can enable you to avoid a court hearing and is usually cost-effective as well as time-saving compared to having these matters decided in court. Once you have reached an agreement, your divorce solicitor can apply to the court for a Consent Order, which will render your decision legally binding.
Non-confrontational dispute resolution is used to help couples to reach agreement on key issues such as:
There are two kinds of non-confrontational dispute resolution for divorce: mediation and collaborative law.
Each country has its own jurisdiction, and therefore, the country in which you or your former partner apply for a divorce is very important because the divorce laws of that country will be applied in your case.
It may be possible to apply for a divorce under English law if you are able to meet one or more of the following criteria:
Child residence in an international divorce can be a complex area because joint custody arrangements will not be practical if one parent is living overseas. Our international family lawyers will always put the needs of your children first when we advise you on the various aspects of your divorce and will work with you towards a resolution to minimise the distress for everyone involved.
Our expert international divorce lawyers have diverse experience in this area and will be able to guide and support you through the entire process. An international divorce is a situation in which you or your spouse has a connection to another country, for example, when one partner is a non-UK national. An international divorce will often be more complex, so it is essential to get legal advice at the earliest opportunity.
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Ackroyd Legal is a trading style/name of Ackroyd Legal (London) LLP , which is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, SRA No. 554585 and is a LLP registered in England & Wales, Company No. OC360125; VAT no. 445717436;
