Family and Divorce
Our experienced team of family and divorce solicitors in London combines in-depth legal know-how with understanding and compassion. We provide an extensive range of divorce and family law service for clients in London. We appreciate that no two families are the same, family issues are often sensitive and can be emotional and stressful for all those involved.
Our advice is bespoke, confidential and totally designed around you, helping you come to the best conclusion for both you and your family. We’ve worked with many families, gaining a reputation for providing excellent family law services.
Whether you’re at the beginning or the end of a relationship, worried about access to your children, or looking to sort out your finances after a relationship breakdown, we offer practical, insightful family law and divorce law advice to help you achieve your objectives, with the minimum of stress and uncertainty.
We listen carefully to your needs and take the time to understand your priorities, so we can ensure that the advice we deliver is clear and jargon-free. Whatever your situation, you benefit from honest, straight-talking legal support that puts your interests first.
Comprehensive range of family law and divorce law services
Our divorce and family law services include
Divorce
Our specialist divorce lawyers can handle your divorce from start to finish, including property transfers or amendments to your will. Our family and divorce law team offers clear, professional legal advice to provide extra peace of mind.
The procedure to obtain a divorce is relatively straightforward. Court Proceedings are needed to obtain the divorce but so long as it is not contested the actual divorce could take as little as four to five months to be concluded without the need for any Hearing.
There is only one ground for a divorce and that is if you believe your marriage has irretrievably broken down. This needs to be shown in one of five ways:
- Adultery
- Unreasonable behaviour
- Desertion for two years
- Separation for two years where it is agreed at the end of the two years that a divorce should take place
- After five years’ separation whether or not the divorce is agreed
Children
Parents separating can be traumatic for their children. Although the Court will not automatically become involved in the arrangements for the children when there is a divorce it is still vital that parents agree on those arrangements and how much time a child is to spend with each of them. Even though the parents are divorcing they will continue to be parents and each will have a key role in the upbringing of their child.
If agreement cannot be reached there could be a formal Application to the Court as part of the divorce for a Judge to decide what is in the best interests of a child. This is always a last resort.
Pre-nuptial and cohabitation agreements
Agreeing who is entitled to what before things go wrong significantly reduces the stress of a marriage breakdown, helping secure the financial futures of both parties. Increasingly the Courts accept that it is far better for a couple to take control of their financial as well as personal situation in advance of getting married or entering into a new relationship. Greater weight is therefore being given to Pre and Post Nuptial Agreements as well as Cohabitation Agreements.
Pre and Post-Nuptial Agreements
The Family Court is now more prepared to uphold Pre-Nuptial Agreements entered into before marriage. So long as these are entered into fairly with safeguards for both parties they are now usually accepted as enforceable on a subsequent divorce. There has been a big change in this in recent years.
Pre-Nuptial Agreements are not just for the rich and famous. It is becoming more common for individuals to receive inherited wealth and to marry later in life – or to have a second or third marriage. Very often a couple getting married will not have the same amount of assets and may want to “ring fence” previously owned monies or investments to avoid the possibility on a divorce taking place of those assets being divided. The Pre-Nuptial Agreement will set out what the couple agree should be the financial settlement if they have a divorce in the future.
Entering into a Pre-Nuptial Agreement can be an emotive subject. However, they are now becoming much more common place and for many people have become part of the wedding planning “to do list”. Pressure can also be exerted by parents who have given money or property to children expecting them to enter into a Pre-Nuptial Agreement to preserve that money or property should the marriage not work out. Parents do not always trust their children to make the right decisions in their relationships!
So long as the Pre-Nuptial Agreement is basically fair at the time, both of the couple have received legal advice with full financial information being provided and the Agreement is not completed too close to the marriage it is likely (but not guaranteed) that a Pre-Nuptial Agreement will be upheld subsequently. Legislation is being considered to give a legal foundation for Pre-Nuptial Agreements but in the meantime it is vital that early legal advice is taken.
Post-Nuptial Agreements
Similar to a Pre-Nuptial Agreement is one that is entered into after marriage. The Courts have always been more prepared to uphold such an agreement. Again safeguards need to be present and they can also be an emotive subject. Post-Nuptial Agreements can be used to safeguard assets especially preserving businesses that might otherwise be put in jeopardy on a marriage breakdown. Like Pre-Nuptial Agreements they can set out what the couple agree should be the financial arrangements if there is a divorce in the future.
Cohabitation Agreements
The biggest myth in English law is that by living together you acquire rights as “a common law husband or wife”. This is completely untrue but for many people they only discover this on the death of one of the couple or on the relationship breaking down.
Cohabitation Agreements are written contracts that set out the respective rights and responsibilities of a couple that are cohabiting but not getting married. This is particularly important when property is bought and consideration needs to be given as to the respective shares each of the couple have in the property. Nobody expects their relationship or marriage to breakup but they do. Taking legal advice and entering into a Cohabitation Agreement for many people is vital – just in case!
Children and Contact Arrangements
Whether you’re married or not, if you’re worried about arrangements for your children, our family law team can give you the advice and support you need.
Civil Partnership
Whether you’re preparing for a civil partnership, or want to bring one to an end, our specialist family law solicitors have the experience and expertise to support you.
Parental Responsibility
If you feel your opinions about your children’s welfare are being ignored, or you’re not being given a say in important decisions, we can help you take action to resolve matters.
Friendly, professional family and divorce law advice you can rely on
To find out how our range of family and divorce law services could help ease your peace of mind, simply call us or fill out our online enquiry form and one of our team will be in touch promptly.