Divorce Solicitors: The Divorce Process

LSL Family Law Linda Lamb
Tanya Foster, LSL Family law Consultant, Kent Region, Divorce and Finance

No-fault divorce arrived in 2020.

Our specialist divorce solicitors and family mediators are experts in navigating the reformed system – and want to help you calmly and confidently move through all the stages of your divorce.

We have divorce solicitors based near Brighton and Eastbourne in East Sussex and in Tunbridge Wells in Kent. As well as having meeting space available in London.

Yet we work almost entirely by phone and online video meetings with clients across the UK. This is very convenient while you juggle busy lives at a difficult time.

Key Facts about No-Fault Divorce

The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 has removed the need to allocate blame for the collapse of a relationship.

Our divorce solicitors, Linda Lamb and Tanya Foster, can guide you through the new system – do get in touch to find out more. Here are some key facts:

  • There is no need to provide evidence of ‘conduct’ or ‘separation’ facts, simply a statement of irretrievable breakdown of the marriage or civil partnership.

  • For the first time, couples can submit a joint application for divorce, dissolution or separation and they are equally responsible for their application. There is a pathway for sole applications and it is possible to switch the application from joint to sole.

  • The ability of one party to challenge a divorce or dissolution has been limited, thereby preventing domestic abusers from exercising further coercive control over their victim.

  • A new minimum time frame of 26 weeks has been introduced to ensure a period of reflection and give couples time to agree practical and financial arrangements for the future.

  • Legal language has been simplified. ‘Petition’ has become ‘Application’; ‘Petitioner’ has become ‘Applicant’; ‘Defended’ has become ‘Disputed’; ‘Decree Nisi’ has become ‘Conditional Order’ and ‘Decree Absolute’ has become ‘Final Order’.

Our divorce solicitors are committed to seeking non-court resolutions that prioritise the wellbeing of both children and couples.

Finance settlement

To finalise the finances, an application for divorce needs to be in place.

Ideally, you need to agree the finances, convert the agreement into a consent order and, after the conditional order in the divorce has been granted, you can submit the financial consent order to the court.

If you cannot agree, then the court will have to make the decisions for you. However, this is costly and takes time.

If you do not want to divorce right now, you can have a separation agreement drawn up.
Our divorce solicitors have created these useful factsheets… Take a look…

Divorce Factsheet
Civil Partnership Dissolution Factsheet
Separation Factsheet
Financial applications to the court Factsheet

Divorce & Finance: A Case Study

Problem

The client was a woman who applied for a divorce after her husband had an affair. He was a company director with a six-figure salary plus substantial annual bonus. My client was an ex-secretary who had not worked since their teenage children were born.

Solution

As divorce solicitors we often recommend mediation, however, in this case, the mediation sessions broke down because the husband was not prepared to pay maintenance for her and their children. This meant the case had to go to court.

Outcome

The court decided in my client’s favour and the husband was told to pay child support, school fees and four years’ maintenance for my client, while she trained and established herself as a physiotherapist.

As divorce solicitors, we believe that an important part of our role is to give our clients moral support and encouragement. In this instance, there was a great deal of pressure from the husband.

When I first met my client, she lacked assertiveness and felt trapped in a position of no power. At the end she had turned into a completely different woman – confident, self-reliant and empowered.

“I highly recommend Linda Lamb from LSL Family Law if you are looking for divorce solicitors. Getting divorced isn’t an experience any of us really wants to go through. Linda is kind, calm, compassionate and an expert in her field – no better person to guide you through the process.”

Tracey in Brighton, February 2022

Our Approach as Divorce Solicitors

At LSL Family Law, our divorce solicitors focus on reducing conflict and simplifying the process of resolving your divorce and financial matters.

Additionally, our divorce solicitors possess exceptional expertise in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) methods, including mediation and collaborative law.

If you choose us as your divorce solicitors, you can be confident that we believe in finding common ground outside of court as the most constructive approach to finding a mutually agreeable solution.

Even if you are not based near the Brighton and Eastbourne areas of East Sussex, or Tunbridge Wells in Kent, our divorce solicitors can most definitely work closely with you by phone and online video across London and the rest of the UK. We have worked hard to bring divorce and financial resolution to clients anywhere using our secure online legal solutions portals making us one of the first remote operational, paperless and flexible Family Law solicitors in the UK.

Find out more about how we work.

More LSL Family Law Services

Contact Us

Contact us today to arrange an initial telephone or online chat, in complete confidence, with one of our family law solicitors.

We’re here to relieve your anxiety and find the right solution to the problem you’re facing.

We can help you wherever you are based in the UK with our online services. Our family law solicitors are working from offices in Tunbridge Wells in Kent and Eastbourne in East Sussex. We also have meeting rooms in Brighton and London.

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