Divorce Grounds
Despite the fact that the majority of people may believe that anybody who is married can get a divorce, throughout England and Wales there are a variety of criteria that will have to be met. Firstly, you have to have been married for more than 1 year, and you then need to prove that your marital relationship has broken down for one of the following reasons:

• Infidelity
• Unreasonable behaviour
• Desertion
• Separation for 2 years
• Separation for 5 years

Time-Scales
Every single divorce process is different. Some will involve young children, whilst others don’t; and some may be quite amicable, and others might be fiercely contested. There isn’t any fixed time period for how long it will be before you are awarded your Decree Absolute – the very best case scenario may be a few months, although some divorces last years.

The Cost
There will be standard court costs which will have to be paid to process your divorce case, but there will also be the costs associated with employing a Divorce Solicitor. These will probably vary from firm to firm, and will also be influenced by the complexity and length of the divorce process. The cheapest solicitor will not always be the most suitable one, and you need to make sure you are happy with your chosen representation, and that your Divorce Solicitor has made you aware of their fees along with what the possible costs might be.

Divorce Alternatives
Separation could be a more appropriate alternative to divorce and one that leaves you with options for the future. In the event you decide this is the best way forward, based on your situation, it can certainly be a good idea to formalise certain aspects of the separation. Should you have young children then child custody arrangements could be drawn up, plus some form of financial agreement might be beneficial.

If you’re considering a divorce, or handling any kind of Family Law matter, speak to our Family Solicitors London office. With different levels of service to match all budgets, we will provide you with the guidance you need.

Exactly How Much Will A Divorce Process Cost?
In addition to the fees that most solicitors will probably demand to deal with a divorce in England, there are several standard court costs which you will have to pay also.

Divorce court costs – Whenever you petition the court for a divorce, the cost of filing the petition is at present £340. At the conclusion of the process there is also an additional fee for the Decree Absolute of £40. There could be various other court costs too. For example, if you and your former partner have come to an arrangement about your finances and so are wanting a ‘clean break’ divorce, you’ll have to file a Consent Order with the courts, which usually carries a further £45 fee.

Solicitor Costs – Exactly how much your solicitor is going to charge you is dependent upon your circumstances. The more difficult it is and the longer it requires to finalise, the more time your solicitor is going to have to dedicate to it. Most lawyers charge an hourly rate, which means that difficult cases involving disputes over details such as custody of the children and finances can easily see costs run into the thousands. However, an easy and uncomplicated process may only cost a few hundred pounds.

Divorce & Legal Aid
For people who might find it difficult to meet the financial cost of a divorce case, Legal Aid might be a solution. However, not everyone is eligible for Legal Aid, which is intended to help only those most in need of assistance.

For anybody attempting to deal with the expense of a divorce or Family Law matter, our Family Solicitors London office can offer a variety of solutions for handling your situation, whilst making sure the financial burden is kept to a minimum.

Many cohabiting partners believe there is such a thing as a ‘common law marriage’, that is applicable to all partners living with each other. But, they are often shocked to discover this is actually untrue throughout England and Wales. The majority of couples who happen to be just cohabiting are living with each other without much of the protection available to married couples and also civil partners, which can often create problems once the partnership comes to an end, or one of the partners passes away.

Property and Cohabitation
Considering that moving in with each other is basically an emotional decision, a lot of couples will not completely realise the consequences and also likely pitfalls which may be linked to cohabitation. There are a number of ways in which couples can look after their rights when buying a home, just in case the partnership does not work out.

Cohabitation & Finances
The money affairs of husbands and wives and people who are in a civil partnership are usually significantly better safeguarded as opposed to those who’re just cohabiting. Whenever a spousal relationship or even civil partnership is dissolved, each individual partner would have a right to a share of the combined assets, and one spouse might even need to give maintenance payments to the other. Cohabiting partners unfortunately, will not experience the same legal rights.

Cohabiting Parents
As soon as mums and dads happen to be husband and wife or perhaps part of a civil partnership, these people automatically assume all of the legal rights as well as responsibilities for their children. With regards to people that happen to be cohabiting, the same rights plus obligations are only available to the dad if his name is present on the official birth certificate, or perhaps the relevant paperwork is supplied that confirms he is the father of the particular baby in question.

Cohabitation Agreement
Many couples opt to speak with our Family Solicitors London office and have a cohabitation agreement drafted, in an attempt to provide a certain amount of legal protection if the partnership should end. This might be completed at any time before or while in the relationship, as well as soon after the relationship has finished, although this is more likely to be viewed as a separation agreement.

A review of the particular legal guidelines regarding the splitting up of partners that happen to be neither in a marital relationship or in a civil union, suggests it is possible that the laws might be adjusted before long.

By utilising the services of specialist and skilled solicitors similar to those available at our Family Solicitors London office, you will have all your possible options spelled out to you, and obtain the advice you require in order to choose the best approach for you and your family.

Examples of the matters our London Family Solicitors could help with are detailed here:

Divorce Cases
Going through a divorce is often an emotionally draining prospect. Our group of London Family Law Solicitors will help and direct you through the entire process, offering the representation you need, as well as helping to make certain that any stress is going to be kept to a minimum.

Formal Separations
If a relationship ends, there could be various legal matters to take care of, which are best dealt with by experts. Our London Family Solicitors have the experience and knowledge to give you advice on every element of your formal separation.

Spousal Maintenance
Attempting to get by on a lower income when you and your husband or wife have separated can be difficult. Our London Divorce Solicitors can offer guidance as well as information about the most effective approach to receive the necessary financial help you need.

Custody Arrangements
Among the most emotional elements associated with any divorce or separation, is the matter of child custody. One of our London Family Law Solicitors could help you get to a reasonable and also sensible child custody agreement, in the interests of all concerned.

Child Support
When one parent is missing from a marital relationship, it can often be difficult to meet the expenses associated with bringing up kids. Our London Family Solicitors will be able to ensure you obtain the monetary help both you and your children are qualified to receive.

International Divorce
The experienced team of international Divorce Lawyers in our Divorce Solicitors London office will help you sort out all of the intricacies and jurisdictional problems that are associated with any divorce where different countries of origin, overseas employment and foreign assets might be a concern.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
Most of the stress that the majority of separating husbands and wives face is caused by having to reconcile their differences in the courtroom. To avoid this, a lot of partners are opting for ADR and making use of Collaborative Family Law and Mediation to arrive at a solution. Our London Family Solicitors are trained professionals who will be able to advise whether ADR might be an option for your problem, and guide you through the entire process.

Cohabitation Arrangements
Rather than getting married or entering into a civil partnership, an increasing number of partners are choosing to just live together. Nevertheless, most do not realise the effects this action will have on their individual rights and lawful protection if the relationship comes to an end or one of them passes away. Our London Divorce Solicitors can give you advice on the best way to protect your assets if the unimaginable happens.

Protection From Domestic Violence
Due to the emotional nature of romantic relationships often it is necessary to take steps to protect you and your family from domestic violence. Our experienced team of London Divorce Solicitors will help you put protection orders in place and inform you of the most effective approach to make sure you feel safe.

Prenuptial Agreements
In cases where either partner enters into a marital relationship or civil partnership with significant assets, these might be at risk in the event of a divorce. Our London Family Solicitors can give you advice regarding a prenuptial arrangement which could protect these assets to help safeguard them in the case of the partnership ending prematurely.

Regrettably, many individuals discover too late that while they assumed they were legally entitled to various things, though that doesn’t end up being the situation.

There is at present a landmark situation in the Supreme Court that is raising awareness of this issue. The couple bought a home together in 1985, resided there together, and then split up in 1993. The wife and their two kids have occupied the home and she has independently paid the mortgage since then. The issue being figured out by the Supreme Court is who is entitled to the profits from the house when it is sold.

This is an example of the sort of confusion that surrounds the legal rights of two men and women that live as man and wife. Many of the misunderstandings and problems that take place when individuals break up stem from the fact that they assumed they had legal rights that they don’t really have. Here are a few of the more substantial myths.

The biggest myth that is likely causing a lot of the confusion is that if you live as man and wife, you have a common law marriage. This is entirely untrue and common law marriages haven’t existed since 1753.

One more myth is that if you finance half of the mortgage, it means you own half the house. This is equally not necessarily true. Possession of the house is determined by who holds the title of the residence. If both names are on the title, both people own equal shares of the house. If only one name is on the title, that is the only individual who has the home. It doesn’t matter who actually pays the mortgage.

Individuals are furthermore under the impression that there is no way to secure their interests unless they get married. In reality, there is a document called a “Living Together Agreement” which can help establish the parameters of how the money is being taken care of in the relationship. This works in a very similar manner as a pre-nuptial agreement, without the marriage occurring.

The final big myth that surrounds individuals who live as man and wife is that they think that if one partner passes away, the other will most likely be able to keep on living in their residence. The truth is that there must be a will in place for the other partner to keep the house.