Life After Divorce

Navigating divorce can be challenging, but it also marks the beginning of a new chapter filled with opportunities for growth and self-empowerment.

This period of transition allows you to redefine your goals, embrace new experiences, and focus on yourself and your family. Whether you’re already separated, embarking on the journey of divorce or in the initial stages of thinking about divorce we can help.

We offer comprehensive legal and financial planning services to help you understand your rights, navigate the legal process, and ensure a fair outcome – but most importantly give you the tools to help you find your way for a Life After Divorce. Let’s embark on this journey together, turning a difficult experience into a path towards a brighter future.

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Mediation support services

Another popular option after a divorce is mediation. Here, you and your ex-partner can discuss what you’d like to happen after your divorce in a less confrontational environment. You can discuss:

Child arrangements
Financial arrangements
Selling a home.

This list isn’t exhaustive, and our mediators have helped ex-partners come to agreements on several things without needing to go to court.

We find our clients find mediation beneficial because it’s with a non-biased third party, and it’s more cost-effective than going to court.

Free counselling sessions

When you use our expert family law team, you’ll receive four free counselling sessions with our in-house counsellor, Vicky Lambert. You can use your four free sessions at any time.

Many of our clients have found counselling after a divorce useful. It’s a safe space where you can talk through your thoughts and feelings with a trained expert.

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Clare Wiseman Head of Family Law Meet the team

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Joanna Gosling
"Parents face uncertainty and fear, especially about not seeing their children daily, which is heightened around Christmas. My role as a mediator is to guide them and help them listen to each other, as everyone wants to be heard. This can lead to successful co-parenting changes."

FAQs About Divorce

How long does a divorce take?

Since the introduction of no-fault divorce, the initial application process now takes a minimum of 26 weeks.

Each case is different, so we can’t say exactly how long your divorce will take. The length of time it takes will depend on several factors, including:

Whether you’re making a sole or joint divorce application
If you or your partner live abroad
If there are any financial arrangements to agree and how long that takes.

Do I have to go to court to get divorced?

It’s very unusual to have to go to court in person to get divorced.

When it comes to financial matters, it’s often possible to avoid going to court and to reach a settlement through a non-court dispute resolution process such as:

Negotiation
Mediation
Collaborative divorce
Arbitration.

Our divorce solicitors are expert negotiators. We also have qualified collaborative divorce lawyers within our team.

However, if an amicable settlement isn’t possible, our lawyers will support you through any court appearances to obtain a fair settlement for you.

Are money, pensions and the house split 50/50 on divorce?

A good starting point for dividing assets in a divorce is often a 50/50 split, but this isn’t always the final outcome. There are many considerations such as the length of the marriage, children and dependents, financial needs of each party and contributions to the marriage.

Your home, property, pensions, savings, and investments will need to be taken into account. If you agree on how to split assets you should obtain a Court Order (known as a Consent Order) to make it legally binding. It's important that you understand that an agreement between you isn't enough to bring an end to any future financial claims. Only when there's a Court Order reflecting the agreed terms does it become binding on you both.

A mediator can help facilitate discussions and negotiations, making sure both you and your ex-partner's views are heard and considered. If you can't agree an application is made to court requesting a decision on financial provision. The court will set a timetable for you both to comply with, including providing your financial information and completing further documentation.

How much maintenance will I get from my ex-partner?

Spousal maintenance, as with any financial issue arising from divorce, is complex and the ‘rules’ vary enormously from case to case.

The level of maintenance paid will mainly depend on your financial ‘needs’. Opinions will most likely differ on those ‘needs’. Suppose you enjoyed a high standard of living during the marriage, your ‘needs’ are likely to be more generously interpreted.

Consideration will also be made to whether you gave up a successful career to bring up the children and run the family room or moved around/abroad to support your partner.

How maintenance is calculated can also be more complex if your partner's salary has a base and bonus pay structure.

There are lots of factors at play and no hard and fast answer. Mediation can often go a long way in resolving some of the issues out of court.

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