Divorce Law

Whether you’re looking to divorce your partner, or you’ve been served with a divorce application or divorce papers, you’ll be looking for expert help and support. At Stowe Family Law, our experienced divorce solicitors in Liverpool are here to help you get through one of the most difficult periods in your life.

The divorce process can be difficult to navigate, and for many, it can instil a sense of anxiety and confusion; which is why we take great care to outline the emotional, practical and legal challenges that lie ahead whilst providing practical next steps so that you can move forward to achieve the results you need.

At Stowe Family Law Solicitors, we can provide guidance on completing the divorce application, through to negotiating financial settlements and child custody (child arrangement orders). Our expert team is well placed at Merchants Court near Royal Albert Dock, to help you if you’re looking for divorce solicitors in Liverpool.

You cannot begin divorce proceedings until you have been married for at least a year.

To start, you need to submit an application to the court (Form D8) with a declaration that your marriage has broken down irretrievably.

This is usually made online via a court portal (although you can make a paper application) and requires a payment of £593.

You can apply for a divorce by yourself (sole applicant) or make a joint application with your ex-spouse (joint applicants).

Alternatively, if you receive a divorce application from your spouse, you are called the respondent in the legal process.

Our Liverpool family law solicitors can support you in completing and submitting the divorce petition to prevent delays. Stowe Family Law firm in Liverpool is here to help you get through your divorce as quickly and painlessly as possible.

If your spouse has made the application for divorce as a sole applicant, the court will send you (the respondent) a copy of the application by email with a follow-up letter from the court with details of how to access the application.

You will find the completed divorce application, the Notice of Proceedings, and the Acknowledgment of Service within this email.

In most instances, you should receive the divorce application within 28 days of it being issued by the court. The applicant however can ask for permission to serve the application later than this.

You will need to fill in and return the Acknowledgment of Service to the court, usually within 14 days of receipt of the application.

Our Liverpool family law solicitors can help you to respond to a divorce petition while preparing you to get the best possible outcome for you, and for your family. If you’re looking for a family law team in your local area, don’t hesitate to get in touch today.

One of the most difficult steps in a separation or divorce is in working through the arrangements for your children (formerly known as child custody). While this is a challenging process, it is in the best interests of your children to reach a civil agreement with your ex-partner. To make sure you get the best result for you and your children, it often helps to have a child law specialist on-hand to provide you with guidance on what a fair and workable arrangement might look like.

Our Liverpool child solicitors have extensive experience in child arrangement cases and have seen a variety of solutions to suit every situation, no matter how niche. The primary goal of our family law solicitors in Liverpool is to get the best outcome for your children and to help you to maintain a positive relationship with your ex-partner wherever possible.

More about our child cusotdy solicitors Liverpool.

Like every relationship, every couple’s finances will be unique to them. Trying to separate years of financial ties is often challenging, and there are usually tough financial issues that need to be resolved. Financial Settlements (commonly known as Divorce settlements) can cover everything from the family home, and even assets you owned before you got married to pensions, and investments; so getting expert financial and legal help is important if you’re looking to protect your assets while providing for your family once the divorce is completed.

We have a lot of experience in dealing with difficult financial matters, property and estates; as well as catering to high-net-worth individuals, and clients with assets abroad. So, if you’d like advice on how to handle your assets, our financial settlement lawyers and forensic accounting team can help you. For an experienced team of family law solicitors in Liverpool and the surrounding areas, don’t hesitate to get in touch today.

Ending a civil partnership takes a heavy emotional toll.

Known as dissolution, the path to dissolving a civil partnership is very similar to the process of divorce.

Dissolving a civil partnership can only be instigated after you’ve been in the partnership for a year.

You will be entitled to all the same benefits and entitlements as those who get divorced, and in a similar vein, thought will need to be given to the sharing of assets and the arrangements for your children.

To help you through the dissolution process, our civil partnership solicitors can provide practical guidance and support to help you to achieve your desired outcome.

Our expert family law solicitors have decades of experience and have access to hundreds of years’ worth of expertise from our teams across the country. We are the UK’s largest family law specialist, delivering tailored service and expertise, locally to you.

Clients often talk about our compassion, empathy and our ability to deliver the ‘hard facts’ and the clear guidance they need to move forward with their case, and their lives.

To hear more about what our clients think about us and our approach, watch our video here.

Yes! We have offices across the North-West and Wales, but our Liverpool office is located right on Albert Dock. That makes it the perfect location for anyone in Merseyside to visit. Whether you live in Bootle, Kirkby, Wallasey or Birkenhead, the office of our Liverpool family law solicitors is easy to get to when you need to.

If you’re looking for a trusted family law firm based in Liverpool City Centre, we are here for you. Our local team have many years’ of experience and will work with you to ensure your divorce is as simple and amicable as possible.

On average, the divorce process in England and Wales takes six-eight months.

Within the process, there are two key waiting periods. 

First, there is a 20-week cooling-off period after the court has issued the application before the conditional order can be granted. 

Second, once the conditional order has been granted, there is a six-week waiting period until you can apply to the court for a final order. 

In addition, several factors can also impact the length of a divorce, including a lack of cooperation by one party, complicated financial matters and/or child arrangements and delays at divorce centres and family courts.

If you’re married, or involved in a civil partnership, and have been for more than 12 months, you are eligible for a divorce.

England and Wales operate a no-fault based divorce system which means that you do not have to provide a reason for the breakdown of your marriage, just a statement that your marriage has irretrievably broken down.

To understand more about divorce arrange a no-obligation, free consultation with our experienced legal team in Liverpool today.

Yes, we can. If you’re involved in a civil partnership that you and your partner want to dissolve, we are here to help.

Our family law solicitors in Liverpool can work with you to dissolve your civil partnership in the most amicable way.

Whether you and your partner are in a civil partnership or a traditional marriage, our experienced team of divorce lawyers and family law solicitors is just a phone call away.

If you’re considering getting divorced, it is usually expected that you and your partner will try marriage counselling or mediation. While you aren’t legally obligated to attempt mediation or marriage counselling, they can have real advantages, whether you decide to divorce or not.

Involving a skilled mediator or counsellor in your decision to divorce can often help to smooth the process, and encourage less animosity between yourself and your partner.

Whether you’ve been through counselling or not, Stowe Family Law solicitors in Liverpool are here for you.

If you and your spouse or partner agree to divorce, and you’re both able to come to a reasonable agreement regarding childcare, financial arrangements and any other potential areas of disagreement, you should be able to get divorced before appearing in front of a judge.

While your divorce documents will still need to be filed in front of the court, it is very rare to have to attend the courtroom in person for any divorce.

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