Divorce Solicitors for Gainsborough, Lincoln and beyond

Even the most amicable divorce or dissolution is likely to be difficult and stressful at times. If you are already feeling upset and angry, then worrying about legal proceedings, your financial arrangements and what happens to you – and your children – can be an additional concern.

Independent legal advice can be crucial in helping to resolve issues within divorce, for example, when you are not sure about whether you have grounds for divorce, your partner does not agree to a divorce or you have concerns about financial issues and how to divide your property, assets and/or liabilities.

We know that it can be daunting when seeking legal advice. But in fact, this is one of the wisest moves you can make. As specialist divorce solicitors in Gainsborough, our job is to look after your best interests, and those of any children. We will give you realistic, professional advice that is right for you and your circumstances, using our knowledge of the law and professional experience.

The Law on Divorce

Divorce law has been designed to be flexible enough to meet the different needs of every couple affected – around 150,000 marriages end in divorce each year in England and Wales alone – so at times it can seem complex and confusing.

The court will only grant a divorce if a judge agrees that the marriage has irretrievably broken down for one of five reasons. These do not have to have caused the breakdown of your marriage; their function is to show that the breakdown has actually occurred.
When filing for divorce, we set out your evidence in a document called a petition. If you file for divorce you are called the petitioner and your husband or wife is called the respondent.
Once the petition is filed with the appropriate court, the divorce process has started.
What happens next depends upon whether your partner contests or agrees to the divorce. For example, the court must agree with arrangements made for any children, such as who they will live with and what contact they will have with the non-resident parent before the divorce is granted.
The first stage of the actual divorce is called the decree nisi and it is granted only when a judge is satisfied that there are proper grounds for a divorce. The judge will see whether the financial issues and arrangements for the children have been agreed or are in the process of being resolved.
The final stage of a divorce is called the decree absolute, which can be applied for six weeks and one day after the decree nisi.
When you receive the decree absolute, you are no longer married. The court will only grant the decree absolute when the judge agrees that all arrangements for the children are satisfactory. Any financial order will also only come into force after the decree has been made absolute.
It is important to keep the decree absolute safe as you will not be able to remarry without it.

For more details, please contact our Gainsborough-based divorce solicitors. Alternatively, please download our Guide to Divorce and Separation.