Family Law Myth – The ‘Quickie’ Divorce

There are no doubt family lawyers across the country who smile quietly to themselves when the tabloids talk of  another celebrity ‘quickie divorce’.  The fact is there is no such thing.  What we have in this country is either a process for divorces that are undefended by a spouse, and, although much less common, a process for divorces that are defended.

The vast majority of divorces are undefended and as such the process is the same for everyone, whether you have celebrity status or not!   A divorce petition must be filed at the Court and served on the other spouse.  Provided they then properly complete the Acknowledgement of Service form and return this to the Court, an application for the ‘Decree Nisi’ will then be made and if the Court is satisfied that all legal requirements are met, a date will be set for the Decree Nisi to be formally pronounced.  Six weeks after the Decree Nisi, the final Decree, known as the Decree Absolute, can be applied for.

There is no possibility, even for celebrities, of bypassing this formal Court process.  Even divorces that are heralded as being ‘online’ will follow the same procedure.  Bringing a marriage to an end is, at the end of the day, a legal process.

Marriages end for all sorts of reasons of course and it can be difficult explaining to someone whose marriage breakdown perhaps represents more of a mutual ‘parting of the ways’, that they will still need to follow the usual Court process.  Unfortunately, there is currently no option for husbands and wives to simply go along to Court and declare that they are facing ‘irreconcilable differences’ and want their marriage legally ending.  That said, if both spouses want a divorce and deal with the necessary paperwork promptly, it is possible for the process to be concluded amicably over the space of several months.

Our experienced team of family and divorce lawyers are here to assist should you need advice on any family law or divorce matter. Contact our local family law experts on 0800 015 0340 to arrange an initial free half hour appointment at any of our offices in Huddersfield, Halifax, Wakefield, Horbury, Leeds, Pudsey or Morley.