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Divorce Solicitors

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    • High Net Worth Divorce Solicitors
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If your marriage has broken down and you’re facing divorce, you may feel upset and worried about the future. So it helps to have an expert team of divorce solicitors in your corner.

We know that you’ll have concerns about things like spending time with your children, or how your wealth will be divided. Our lawyers will make sure that your best interests are taken into account during divorce proceedings, looking at your needs both now and in the future.

For a consultation about your divorce, call us on 0345 604 4911, or contact us online.

What Are The Grounds For Divorce?

In the UK, there is only one ground for divorce: the “irretrievable breakdown of a marriage”.

But to prove that a marriage has broken down, you must be able back it up with one of the following five reasons:

  • “Unreasonable behaviour”
  • Adultery
  • Living apart for two years (and both partners agree to the divorce)
  • Living apart for five years
  • Desertion for at least two years.

If you’ve been married for less than a year you can’t get divorced but you might be able to apply to have your marriage annulled.

What Happens About Our Finances On Divorce?

Finances are dealt with separately from the divorce itself.

The aim is to achieve a fair outcome looking at all the circumstances of the case and taking into account each partner’s resources. These include:

  • Properties (including the family home)
  • Savings and investments
  • Pensions
  • Income
  • Business interests
  • Financial commitments.

Do I have to go to Court to Get Divorced?

It’s very unusual to have to go to court in person for the divorce itself.

In relation to financial matters it is often possible to avoid going to court and to reach a settlement through a 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 and fight for a fair settlement for you.

How Long Does It Take To Get Divorced?

On average it takes between 6-8 months to get divorced. However, this depends on factors such as:

  • How far you and your partner agree on things such as finances
  • How quickly paperwork is returned.

While we understand that you’ll want the divorce process over as quickly as possible, it’s important not to rush into any hasty decisions. Our divorce solicitors will work hard to ensure your settlement is fair, and allows you to move on with your life.

How Much Does A Divorce Cost?

The amount that your divorce will cost depends on how much work is needed to negotiate a settlement with your ex-partner. In general, your divorce will cost more if there are major disagreements and if you have to go to court.

Where you and your ex-partner are not contesting the divorce, we offer a fixed-fee option. This costs £264 if you’re responding to a divorce petition, or £660 if you’re petitioning for divorce. These prices exclude standard court fees, which you’ll need to pay separately.

The cost of dealing with the financial part is separate from the divorce. Your solicitor will give you an estimate at the start, based on your particular circumstances.

Why Choose Our Divorce Solicitors?

Our lawyers are expert negotiators who will work hard to fight your corner. With offices in 15 locations around the country, we can help you wherever you’re based.

We have particular experience in divorces involving high net worth individuals and people with business interests. If you hold assets overseas, or you or your partner live abroad, we can help you negotiate the added difficulty this can cause.

As pioneers in the legal sector, work by our leading lawyers has changed family law. In October 2015, we helped two women to challenge their divorce settlements at the Supreme Court, on the basis that their husbands had been dishonest about their financial circumstances. This successful challenge led to a change in the law.

Contact Us

To find out how we can help with your divorce, please call us on 0345 604 4911, or contact us online.

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Ros Bever National Head of Family Law Meet the team

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More Information - Divorce Solicitors
    • What Are The Grounds For Divorce?
    • There is only one ground for divorce: an 'irretrievable breakdown of the marriage'. This is proved by any one of five facts:

      1. Unreasonable behaviour – Conduct by you or your partner deemed sufficient to cause the irretrievable breakdown of your marriage
      2. Adultery – Defined as voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not their spouse
      3. Living apart for two years (and both partners agree to the divorce)
      4. Living apart for five years
      5. Desertion for at least two years – Desertion takes place when one partner leaves the other without their knowledge or agreement.

      Usually, the grounds for divorce and the guilt of either party won't have an impact on your financial settlement or the arrangements made for you children, but this is decided on a case-by-case basis.

    • What Is The Process?
    • There are seven stages to the divorce process:

      1. A divorce petition must be filed with a court by you or your partner. Whoever does this is known as the Petitioner, with the other party referred to as the Respondent
      2. The court sends the divorce documents to the Respondent
      3. The Respondent files an Acknowledgement of Service – this includes answering questions such as 'do you intend to defend the case?' and 'do you agree with the ground for jurisdiction?'
      4. The Petitioner applies for decree nisi - an order by a court stating the date on which a marriage can end, unless a good reason not to grant the divorce is produced
      5. The court sends out a Certificate of Entitlement confirming the date on which decree nisi will be pronounced
      6. The court grants the decree nisi and sends a copy to both of your solicitors
      7. The Petitioner applies for a decree absolute after six weeks and one day has passed from decree nisi being granted. This decree is a final order from the court that officially ends the marriage, allowing each party to remarry. The Petitioner can delay in making the application for example if financial arrangements have not yet been finalised.

      See our Guide To The Divorce Process for more details of these stages.


    • How Long Does It Take?
    • How long it takes to process your divorce depends on a number of factors. If you are able to quickly come to an agreement with your partner without having to go to court, the whole process could be completed inside 6 months. However, if you find it difficult to reach an agreement, have a lot of issues to resolve, or need to have things put before a court, it can take much longer - sometimes up to 2 years.

      Every case is different, so to get an idea of how long your divorce might take it is important to get expert advice. We can give you an estimate of how long it will take at our first consultation. To set one up, call us today on 0345 604 4911 or contact us online and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.


"Ros Bever is an excellent lawyer who is passionate about getting things right."

Chambers & Partners, 2019

Divorce Victory For Ex-Wives In Supreme Court Battle


We helped two women, Alison Sharland & Varsha Gohil, challenge their divorce settlements at the Supreme Court after their husbands were found to have misled them over their wealth.

The two women believed they were duped into accepting ‘unfair’ divorce settlements, based on knowingly false information provided by their ex-husbands.

Their cases were heard at a three-day hearing in June this year and now seven Supreme Court judges have unanimously ruled in the ex-wives’ favour. It is the first time in a generation that the highest court in the land has heard cases on the issue of non-disclosure in divorce proceedings.

"This judgment sends out the clear message that dishonesty will not be tolerated. Both women found themselves in an unfair situation where they were duped into accepting a smaller settlement than they may have been entitled to.

“Both husbands denied their dishonesty and hid behind highly technical arguments to avoid the consequences. In both cases, the Supreme Court has seen through those arguments to expose the true picture."- Ros Bever, Partner
Read More Client Stories

Frequently Asked Questions

What If There Are Children Involved?

If you have children, it's important that their needs are prioritised throughout the divorce process. There are a number of decisions to be made involving your children, such as:

  • Where your child will live and how much contact you and your ex-partner will have
  • Where your child will go to school and who is responsible for any school fees
  • Child maintenance payments
  • The amount of contact your child has with its extended family

We have decades of experience in helping divorcing parents come to agreements about the future of their children, and we may be able to help you reach an amicable solution that satisfies all parties.

Some members of our team are on the Law Society Children Panel while others are qualified mediators, collaborative lawyers or arbitrators, so you can trust us to work sensitively to reach an agreement that puts your children first.

For more information on how we can help, please call us today on 0345 604 4911, or contact us online, for an initial consultation.

Read More... Read Less...

What If We're Not Quite Ready To Divorce Yet?

If you would like to separate from your partner but are not yet ready to divorce, you can consider getting a Separation Agreement from a court. This will give you time to agree on your personal and financial arrangements prior to divorcing, or allow you to separate your finances and responsibilities in a clear and agreeable way before you separate.

There is also the option of judicial separation, which is where you have no more marital obligations to your partner, but you legally remain married. If you separate in this way, you will not be able to remarry until you get a divorce. The process is very similar to divorce and some people choose it for religious or moral reasons.

If you'd like to talk to us about the various options available to you, please call us today on 0345 604 4911, or contact us online.

Read More... Read Less...

How Can I Protect Myself From Financial Claims In The Future?

There are a range of measures we can take to help you guard against receiving financial claims from your ex-partner in the future.

Firstly, if you get a court order that sets out how the financial claims have been settled between you and your ex-partner, then this will determine what if any claims can be made in the future.

You can also obtain a form of financial order known as a 'clean break', which means no further financial claims can be made by either you or your ex-partner in the future.

It is important to get a court order, even if you have agreed everything between you, as otherwise your claims against each other remain open indefinitely leaving you both vulnerable to future claims by the other person.

If you have any questions about our family law services, or want to know how we can help you and your family through what may be a difficult time, then please call us today on 0345 604 4911, or contact us online, for a consultation on your case.

Read More... Read Less...

I live in Scotland, can Irwin Mitchell help me?

Our expert family law team works with a number of trusted partners to help our clients with family law issues in Scotland.

We’ll be your point of contact and manage the entire process for you throughout. You’ll get frequent progress updates and we’ll break down any legal jargon into plain English so you’re always in the loop.

To find out more about how we can help, give us a call on 0345 604 4911 or contact us online.

Read More... Read Less...
Read More FAQs

Related Information - Divorce Solicitors

Civil Partnerships - Our family law solicitors can help you with a range of legal issues, from pre-partnership agreements to separation Read More
Divorce Financial Settlements - Make sure you get a fair settlement when untangling complex joint finances after divorce Read More
Child Arrangements – We are experienced at negotiating child arrangements after divorces and separations Read More
Fixed-Fee Divorce - A quick, easy and cost-effective way to get divorces if you and your partner have agreed to separate Read More

About Irwin Mitchell

Founded in Sheffield in 1912, Irwin Mitchell has always been a bit different. Our advisers really get to know the people and business that we help.

It's what we call 'expert hand, human touch'.

We have offices around the UK so wherever you are, our experts can help.

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