Divorce and Dissolution of Civil Partnerships

If you are the Petitioner i.e. starting the proceedings:

Our fixed fee package is £600.00 plus VAT and the Court fee of £593.00

What is included:

– An end-to-end service, from initial instruction to Decree Absolute

– Face-to-face meeting with a member of our professionally trained family team

– Correct completion and timely submission of all procedural forms

– All Court correspondence and query handling

What is not included:

– Any work required if your spouse/civil partner contests the proceedings

– Any work required if the petition needs amending after being issued by the Court

If you are the Respondent i.e. your spouse/civil partner has started divorce proceedings against you:

Our fixed fee package for Respondents is charged at £200.00 plus VAT for an uncontested divorce/dissolution of civil partnership

It includes:

• A complete end-to-end service, from Acknowledgment of Service to Decree Absolute
• Face-to-face meeting with a member of our professionally trained family team
• Correct completion and timely submission of all forms
• All Court correspondence and query handling

What is not included:

• Any advice or representation in respect of children or financial issues.

On 6 April 2022 changes to the legislation on divorce came into force with the launch of a new HMCTS online service to accommodate the change.

The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 reforms the legal requirements and process for divorce. The act aims to reduce the potential for conflict amongst divorcing couples by:

• Removing the ability to make allegations about the conduct of a spouse; and allowing couples to end their marriage jointly.
• It will no longer be possible to contest a divorce, except on limited grounds including jurisdiction.

The act also introduces a minimum period of 20 weeks between the start of proceedings and application for conditional order along with a further six week wait to end your marriage.This provides couples with a meaningful period of reflection and the chance to reconsider. 

Where divorce is inevitable, it enables couples to cooperate and plan for the future. This means that in total, a no fault divorce should take approximately six months to complete.

The main difference between divorce and civil partnership dissolution in the UK is the type of relationship they pertain to, with divorce applying to opposite-sex marriages and dissolution applying to civil partnerships (open to both same-sex and opposite-sex couples).

The grounds for ending the relationship are similar, as are the procedures for addressing financial matters and child custody arrangements.