If your marriage has broken down, our Jewish divorce lawyers can help you through the religious and civil divorce processes. This is a complex area and it’s important to get specialist legal advice.
Our solicitors have good relationships with the Beth Din in London and Manchester. We have experience helping members of Orthodox, Reform, Liberal and Masorti synagogues.
It’s really important that you go through the Jewish divorce process at the same time as the civil proceedings. If you don’t, it can make things much harder in the longer term (especially if you have children, or wish to remarry).
Call our friendly team on 0370 1500 100 or contact us online for a consultation about your case.
What Jewish Family Law Services Do We Offer?
We can help you with a range of issues, including:
- Prenuptial agreements – alongside detail about any financial arrangements in the event you divorce, it’s also possible to add a “Get clause” into an agreement. This clause would mean that you promise to agree to a Jewish divorce, if the other person requests one.
- Husbands who wish to divorce or those who are unwilling to grant the Get. We can also help if your wife will not agree to a divorce.
- Wives who wish to divorce their husbands – especially in cases where your husband is withholding the Get.
- Issues around children – more information about how we can help.
- Financial settlements – our lawyers can help you negotiate a fair settlement. This might be as part of the Get negotiation or the civil divorce process.
- Domestic abuse – we can help you with a range of protective measures if your partner has been abusive or violent.
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What’s The Process For Getting A Jewish Divorce?
You should expect the religious part of your divorce to take a few months. But this will depend on how cooperative you and your spouse are.
It’s important to remember that the Jewish divorce process needs to run alongside the civil process. It’s best to apply for a Jewish divorce before the civil Decree Nisi has been pronounced. However, the Get will not be passed to the couple by the Beth Din until the civil Decree Absolute has been issued.
The process for getting divorced varies depending on the branch of Judaism you are a member of. However, the general process is as follows:
- The person requiring the Get needs to contact the relevant Beth Din (Jewish court of law).
- The husband must grant the Get and the wife must receive it. For the Get to proceed, both parties must agree to it.
- Both parties will need to attend an interview at the Beth Din.
- The husband must then instruct a scribe to write the Get document.
- The husband must then hand the Get to the wife (although he can appoint a representative to do this if the couple do not wish to meet).
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Children’s Issues Following Divorce
We understand that you may have worries about your children following your divorce. Alongside the day-to-day concerns of who your children live with, there may be spiritual considerations too.
These may include:
- If your former partner has different religious views, or changes to a more Orthodox or liberal branch of Judaism.
- How and where your child is educated, whether a secular or religious school and which one. This can include whether, and where your child attends Sunday school (Cheder).
- Who your child spends Shabbat weekends with.
- Who your child spends key Jewish festival days with (particularly the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur). Aside from these High Festivals, you might wish your children to be with you during festivals where children are particularly involved, such as Simchat Torah or Purim.
- Disputes about the degree of observance of Jewish dietary laws.
Our Jewish family lawyers are sensitive to these concerns, and can help you negotiate a fair arrangement. Thankfully long gone are the days where one parent has “custody” and the other has “access”. The law in this area recognises the equal importance of both parents, and Child Arrangement Orders reflect that.
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Why Choose Us?
We have an expert team of Jewish divorce lawyers who have detailed knowledge of this area. Our team have written about the subject in legal journals and the Jewish Chronicle.
It’s so important to get specialist advice if you want to get divorced. If you don’t go through the Jewish divorce process, you’ll be unable to marry again in an Orthodox synagogue. Worse still, any children you have from your new marriage might be unable to marry within the Jewish community also.
The common issue in Jewish divorce is that it requires both parties to cooperate. If you or your spouse is unwilling to grant or receive the Get, then the situation can be very stressful.
Our Jewish divorce solicitors are expert negotiators, and will work hard to ensure you can move forward with your life. We have contacts at the Beth Din in London and Manchester, as well as experience helping people from all branches of Judaism.
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Mediation Support Service – 30-Minute Consultation
Family mediation can be a less confrontational and more cost-effective way to resolve a dispute. We offer a 30-minute consultation with one of our solicitors to discuss your situation and if mediation is right for you.
If you decide to go ahead with mediation, you can benefit from our cost effective mediation support service. This service will give you the advice, support and tools to get the best possible outcome – particularly if you’re representing yourself.
Contact Us
For a consultation about your Jewish family law issue, call us on 0370 1500 100 or contact us online.
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0370 1500 100
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