Here’s a list of some areas of work we are specialized in:

• Divorce
• Financial relief
• Pre-Nuptial Agreements
• Cohabitation Agreements
• Separation
• Relationship breakdown between parties who are not married
• Children matters to include Parental Responsibility, child custody, Contact (commonly called ‘access’), Prohibited Steps Order and/or Specific Issue Order
• Domestic violence.

Our Family Team will gladly help you in all these areas and put you in the right direction whether through mediation, solicitor’s negotiations or other means.

Uncontested Divorce:

We offer affordable help for an uncontested straightforward divorce. This service and its fees include all the steps in the process, from taking your initial instructions to obtaining Decree Absolute. In some cases, you may be required to pay extra fees like in the instance where your petition requires amending. If your divorce becomes contested and your spouse decides to defend the divorce, we will then have to charge additional fees depending on your case and its implications.

Timescales and Key Stages

In case the other partner acknowledges receipt of the petition more quickly, the process can be started and achieved within 6 months. It is highly recommended to apply for the decree absolute only after the parties have reached a final settlement in relation to the matrimonial finances. Here is a summary of steps involved:

1. Consultation to take your instructions on divorce and advising you on what to do and what to expect.
2. We will draft a divorce petition and send it to you for approval. Most of the time, we prefer to send a copy of the approved draft petition to your spouse or their solicitors in the hope that this will alleviate the case becoming contested and thus, save time and money.
3. We will file your divorce petition with the court, as well as accompanying documents such as reconciliation paperwork; notice of acting, your marriage certificate and the court fee.
4. It’s only after that the spouse has acknowledged receipt of the divorce petition and notified us that they will not defend the petition that we will apply for decree nisi.
5. After the judge has agreed that the marriage has broken down, then we will apply for the decree absolute, which will have to be 6 weeks after the decree nisi (or once the parties have been able to finalise the matrimonial finance.)

When it comes to costs payment, our costs are usually payable in two instalments; the first half of the fees, to be paid prior to issuing the divorce petition and the second half can be paid the following month to help with a smooth process. Please remember that delayed payment already tend to stall the process. Should you prefer a different payment arrangement, please feel free to let us know so that we may discuss the idea.

Financial Remedies

There are two parts to divorce, the divorce itself as outlined above and, the financial aspects that often follows. If you want Lawrence and Associates Solicitors to handle your finances after the break up, we will be proud to render professional and effective services.

Pre-nuptial and Cohabitation Agreements

Before you get married or decide to live together, we can provide you with advice on setting up a prenuptial or a cohabitation agreement to alleviate the stress if the relationship does end in the future.

Please note that the prenuptial agreement is not legally binding in the UK but judges are most likely to take it into account as long as certain safeguards are met.

Separation and Divorce

Sometimes things don’t work out the way we expected and we often find ourselves trapped in a bad situation and need a quick way out. When that happens in your marriage, we are here to assist and advise you on options available in bringing the relationship to an end. This is what we can help you with:

Divorce

This process consists of engaging legal means to put an end to your marriage. In most cases, all matters between the two parties, like housing, finances and arrangements for the children are dealt with at the same time.. This procedure is mostly simple and brief if the process is not contested. The delays tend to lie in resolving the related issues like your new home after the break up and who will the children live with. Money is also a big cause for conflict and it tends to delay the process in most cases.

Judicial Separation

This process simply gives you the freedom of separate by ending the duty to live together without ending the marriage itself. In most cases, Judicial Separation is used where one party has a religious objection to divorce or where the marriage has not yet lasted a year.

Financial Relief

Financial Relief refers to the financial aspect within the divorce process. Sometimes these matters are settled by agreement between the parties without going to Court, either with or without the involvement of solicitors. It’s however better for both parties to seek independent legal advice about any proposed settlement. It is normally sensible to have the agreement written down as a binding agreement like a sealed Court Order. In case no agreement is reached between the two parties, the court can be approached for the appropriate order.

Children:

Child custody is one of the biggest challenges after the divorce, and children are always victims in most cases. Parents’ divorce tend to affect children more emotionally than financially. That’s why courts are more concerned with the quality of care that can be given to children rather than who has the larger income or more possessions.

We can advise you on matters such as:

• Parental responsibility
• Residence – an order deciding with whom a child is going to live
• Contact and visits – how much contact or visiting the absent parent should be entitled to have with the children
• Specific Issue – an order to decide a particular issue or point i.e. how/where a child should be educated or whether the child should have certain medical treatment

Prohibited Steps Orders – an order to prevent someone from doing something with or to a child, for example, the removal of the child from the UK or the change of the child’s surname.