Divorce Lawyer Near Me
If you’re looking for a good divorce lawyer near you, we offer compassionate yet clear advice on how you can best proceed.
Getting a divorce can be a hard situation that can affect the whole family. Our team of divorce lawyers are here to help guide you through one step at a time to ease the feeling over overwhelm and stress.
Divorce Lawyer
Finding the right divorce lawyer that will listen to your concerns and answer your questions fully so that you are prepared for the process and aware of all the eventualities is vital.
The best way to find the right lawyer for your divorce is by seeing what services divorce lawyers offer and working out whether they fit your needs. You can also look at past client reviews to work out if other people have been satisfied with their services.
We know that you need the right support when going through a divorce and we provide friendly expert family law advice.
Experienced Divorce Lawyers in London
Technically, you can apply for a divorce without a lawyer. If your divorce is fairly straightforward in that you do not have any children and do not share assets, for instance, applying yourself could be an option. However, many people prefer to rely on an expert to complete divorce papers and support them throughout the process.
In complex cases, it is better to have the guidance of an expert to help you get the best outcome. There can be many factors that you need to think about when getting a divorce such as whether there are any children involved, splitting assets, and sorting out finances.
A good divorce lawyer will be able to protect your assets as best they can and can represent you if you cannot agree with your spouse on how finances should be handled or how to arrange contact with your children. People find it beneficial to have a solicitor to be able to communicate with the other side effectively and come to a favourable outcome.
Qualified Divorce Lawyers UK
Deciding to get a divorce can be difficult, especially if you have children together. However, you can divorced at any time that is right for you.
Before you petition for divorce, you must have been married for at least a year, your relationship must have permanently broken down and your marriage must have been legally recognised in the UK.
In April 2022, the UK government put a new no-fault divorce law in place which means that couples do not need to wait to get a divorce. As long as they can show that their relationship has irretrievably broken down, they do not need to wait two years before divorcing, as was the previous law.
In addition, you do not have to give reasons for the end of your relationship, which previously, you had to do.
Some of our clients like to get family law advice before they decide to petition for divorce so that they better understand the process. It can be beneficial to help to gather your thoughts and decide whether divorce is the best path for you.
Divorce Solicitors Near Me
There is only one ground for divorce in the UK, that your relationship has irretrievably broken down. Before the law changed in April 2022, you could only get a divorce if you could give one of the five reasons or wait two years. The five reasons included:
- Adultery
- Unreasonable behaviour
- Your spouse has left/deserted you for 2 years
- You and your spouse have been separated for at least 2 years and you both consent to the divorce
- You and your spouse have been separated for at least 5 years
You do not need to prove these reasons for separation if you are applying for divorce after April 2022.
Experienced Divorce Solicitors Near Me
Before you get a divorce you need to make sure that you have your original marriage certificate, both yours and your spouse’s full names and addresses, and proof of changing names if either partner did this.
Whether you apply jointly with your spouse or separately, you will need to complete an application form and both parties will be notified of the petition.
If you apply for divorce through a family law solicitor, they will advise how you can proceed and what information you will need to do so. They will start the divorce procedures on your behalf.
How to Find a Good Divorce Lawyer in England?
Once you have made an application for divorce, both you and your spouse will be notified that the divorce process has started. If you applied on your own, your spouse will be given 14 days to respond to the proceedings. Whether they agree to the divorce or not, unless they have a legal reason for contesting it, proceedings will go ahead.
After this, you will need to wait 20 days to apply for a conditional order (or decree nisi) which is a document confirming that there are no reasons why the divorce cannot go ahead. If the conditional order is approved, you will be sent a certificate which can take several weeks to come through. After this, you must wait 43 days (6 weeks and 1 day) to apply for a final order (decree absolute) to complete the divorce. Once you get the final order, your divorce is officially finalised.
Divorce Lawyer Near Me – Timescales for Divorce
Getting a divorce is not a quick process as there are multiple stages to go through. How quickly you can end your marriage depends on your situation, whether your spouse agrees to the divorce and how fast the court can process your documents. Sometimes the process can be slowed down if your spouse contests or if you provide incorrect information or make mistakes on the application form.
Overall, a divorce may realistically take 6 months to be finalised. Once you apply, you must wait for 20 days to apply for the conditional order and then 43 days before you can apply for the final order to complete the process.
Experienced Divorce Solicitors in London
Our team of expert divorce lawyers will be happy to advise and help you through your divorce. We know that it can be hard approaching a solicitor to end your marriage, but our family law team is here to support you to get the best outcome.
At Mergul law, our London lawyers help many families through difficult times no matter how complex the situation is. If you need help with your divorce, do not hesitate to contact us today.
