What's involved in a Divorce or Separation?

Divorce legally ends a marriage and typically involves several stages, which our family law specialists will guide you through. From filing applications to finalising court orders, we're here to help you.

For unmarried couples, while there is no formal legal process for separation, you can still benefit from seeking advice when considering property rights, financial arrangements and children's matters, as cohabiting couples don't automatically have the same legal protections as married couples.

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Going through a divorce can feel overwhelming, but understanding the process can help make it more manageable. Here's an overview of the divorce process:

  • Application for Divorce
  • Acknowledgement
  • Reflection Period
  • Seeking Mediation Services to Resolve Finances
  • Conditional Offer
  • Financial Settlements
  • Final Order

It's worth noting that while a divorce legally ends a marriage, it doesn't deal with the financial aspects. During a divorce, seeking legal advice from experienced family solicitors can be invaluable, particularly for complex financial matters or when children are involved. Our Worcester-based team of specialists at SME Solicitors can provide the support and guidance you need at each stage to ease the process for you.

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Sometimes couples, whether married or unmarried, wish to document how they'll divide assets and work together on family matters when they're no longer together. These arrangements can be set out in a separation agreement, which is essentially a contract between them. For married couples, this can later be converted into a divorce court order. For unmarried couples, it can be implemented in a structured way to protect each party’s interests. This document could include:

When these agreements are drawn up properly following legal guidelines, they're more likely to be recognised by the courts. However, there are important requirements to meet and sometimes the law won't allow personal relationships to be treated as simple contracts. Our family law team can help you to navigate the potential complexities of drafting these agreements.

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There's often more to think about when a relationship breaks down. We go the extra mile to make sure that your interests are protected and that we've considered every last detail.

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Our family law team.

Why choose our Family Law team?

Seeking expert legal advice is crucial at this time. Many aspects of family law are complex and emotionally challenging. Our advisers, Justine Lowe and Ian Stirzaker, are members of Resolution, a professional body for family law practitioners. They're committed to following a non-confrontational approach, reducing emotional turmoil and making the transition and separation easier.

We use our experience with Resolution, as Mediators and from other areas of the law to assist you through the process. We will ensure that you are properly advised to enable you to make the right decisions and reach an outcome you can rebuild from.

We aim to provide you with prompt, expert advice throughout your case. During our initial meeting, we'll discuss our funding approach and our service quality guarantee. Our goal is to achieve a fair outcome while minimising conflict and emotional distress. We also offer support through mediation or alternative dispute resolution methods, which are often less adversarial than court proceedings.

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Not sure on your next steps?

We know that this can be challenging, but we are here to support you. Use our diagnostics tools to identify whether you're prepared for the divorce or separation process. We also offer a one hour no-obligation initial meeting at £150.00 + VAT.

Assess whether you're ready for divorce
Getting the best value from your lawyer

Our advisers are members of Resolution.


Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Collaborative practice is designed to help you resolve issues outside of court, with everyone committed to working towards a fair agreement.

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Yes. Each person has their own collaboratively trained solicitor, and everyone commits to the collaborative process.

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If you can’t reach agreement, you can move to court with a new set of advisers.

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