How Long Does It Take To Get Divorced?
In her latest Timms blog, Family Legal Executive Alison Wilding discusses how long the divorce process takes under the new Divorce Law…
Changes In The Divorce Law
As I explained in my previous blog the divorce law has changed this year. It is no longer possible to blame the other party for the divorce. The aim of this new ‘no fault’ divorce is to try to reduce conflict between the parties. However, the court also don’t want parties to rush into a divorce without thinking it through.
How Long Does A Divorce Take?
Since the change in law, the court has built in a ‘cooling off’ period in the divorce process. This means that the applicant has to wait a minimum of 20 weeks after the divorce application has been issued before they can apply for the conditional order. That is when the court will consider whether or not you are entitled to a divorce.
The court then have to consider the application and set a date for when the conditional order will be granted. This will add a few more weeks to the timescale. The exact time this will take depends upon how busy the court are.
Six weeks and one day after the conditional order has been pronounced the applicant can apply for the final order which will end the marriage.
So, in total, provided the divorce is not disputed on a technicality, the divorce will take a minimum of 26 weeks from the date it is issued.
What If There Are Financial Matters?
If there are financial matters to be agreed this may further delay the final order being pronounced because it is usually advisable to conclude the financial settlement before applying for a final order in the divorce.
How Can Timms Help?
If you have any questions regarding divorce or any other family law matters, please do not hesitate to get in touch. You can contact me on 01283 214231 or via email at a.wilding@timms-law.com. Alternatively, you can visit the Family page of our website here.
June 2022