Family Law and Divorce
Whether you are planning to enter a civil partnership or are facing the end of your civil partnership, getting the right legal advice can ensure your rights are protected and your needs taken care of, now and in the future.
Family life is rewarding and challenging in equal measure but there are times when you may need the help of specialist family and divorce lawyers, whether you live in the UK or overseas. You may simply want to know what your rights are or understand the implications for your children or your financial position if you take a particular path, such as divorce for married couples or separation for unmarried couples.
Whether it is the beginning or the end of a relationship, or anything in between, we work in all areas of family law and divorce and will take you through the procedure step by step in a straightforward and helpful way.
We work with individuals, couples, parents, same-sex couples and grandparents in Hertfordshire, London, across the rest of the UK and internationally to support you and find your way through this very complex area of law.
Our family law team advise on highly contested divorces involving significant personal assets, with complicated business interests and challenging child arrangements, often involving an international element. We also deal with more straightforward situations, where as a couple you have simply grown apart and wish to go your separate ways.
We will do all that we can to make the whole process as amicable and painless as possible, including helping couples try to find solutions without the need to go to court and have a judge make decisions for you. We will always explore and discuss with you how best to deal with your particular issues and problems,
Divorce and relationship breakdown
Our divorce lawyers can assist with all parts of divorce proceedings, including:
• starting divorce proceedings
• responding to divorce proceedings
• representation for defended divorce proceedings
• divorce financial settlements
• arrangements for children.
Civil partnership dissolution
Our family lawyers guide civil partners through dissolving their partnership, including advice on the slightly different rules compared to those for divorce.
Financial disputes
Our family team can assist with all manner of family financial disputes, including:
• making a voluntary agreement on a divorce financial settlement
• applying to a family court for a financial order
• child maintenance disputes
• enforcing financial orders.
International family law
We have a high level of expertise in international family law matters, including:
• cross-border divorces
• financial separations involving international assets
• international relocation of children.
Issues concerning children
Our family lawyers can assist with all aspects of children law, including:
• where children should live
• what contact they should have with non-resident parents
• child maintenance
• child relocation.
Family law advice for cohabiting couples
We regularly advise unmarried couples who are cohabiting on issues including:
• making cohabitation agreements
• the application of cohabitation agreements
• voluntary agreements on separating finances when a relationship ends
• arrangements for children of unmarried couples.
Collaborative law
Our family lawyers are committed to removing conflict from family law wherever possible. As such, we regularly use the approach known as collaborative law for divorce and other family legal disputes.
Whether you want a divorce or separation or are heading down that route reluctantly, having a strong team supporting you and giving you clear, practical advice will make all the difference. The keys to achieving a good outcome for you is understanding where you stand, knowing what the process is and ensuring that you remain in control.
No fault divorce – the end of the blame game
No-fault divorce is new law in England and Wales introduced on 6 April 2022. This means if you want a divorce, you can now cite an irretrievable breakdown of your marriage without having to rely on one of the five facts. This new law is designed to make the divorce process easier and less stressful so you can avoid entering the blame game and focus on making important decisions for you and your family.
Another big change is that a divorce can no longer be contested unless the marriage is not valid and lack of jurisdiction (this should be rare). This will help to prevent divorces from being dragged out and life being made more difficult for one spouse by the other.
Not every marriage ends because of adultery or other unreasonable behaviour. No-fault divorce better reflects these circumstances and suits modern society’s attitude and understanding towards relationships and marriage.
The divorce process
In many cases, divorce proceedings are straightforward and our role is to guide you through the process to an outcome that is fair to you and allows you to move on with your life. However, complications sometimes arise, for example, if the other spouse’s whereabouts are unknown or if they do not respond to the court papers. We are experienced in resolving these difficulties as amicably as possible whilst ensuring your position is respected and a fair outcome for you.
If you want to apply for no-fault divorce, you can do this solely or jointly online, or you can ask a family lawyer to draft the documents for you to make the process easier.
Child maintenance and spousal maintenance
Separating from a partner can not only have an emotional toll but also a financial one. Making sure that you can continue to meet your own and your family’s needs during a divorce or separation is important to help you to move on. Practical steps need to be considered to help you carry on with your day to day living. Bills still need to be paid for you and your children.
For many separating couples, spousal maintenance, child maintenance and child support law can be very confusing because it is technically a complicated area of law. Thankfully, this is a legal area where we have extensive experience and expertise.
Our family law team can help you obtain the financial provisions you need by helping you with your child maintenance, child support or spousal maintenance claim. We balance compassion and pragmatism to get you the outcome you need as quickly as possible while keeping conflict and stress to a minimum.
With strong skills in non-confrontational dispute resolution, we can typically resolve questions over child and spousal maintenance without court proceedings. However, where court action is required, our team can provide the robust representation you need.
Our clients include individuals and families from all walks of life, with our team having particular expertise in high-value assets and complex financial remedies.
Get in touch with our child maintenance and spousal maintenance solicitor
With many years of experience across our family law team, we can provide keen insights into what to expect when dealing with child and spousal maintenance claims, and clear guidance on how to get the right financial support in place for you and your children. Whether you need advice on dealing with the Child Maintenance Service, court applications for spousal or child maintenance or disputing child maintenance and support claims, we will be happy to help.