Divorce & Civil Partnership Dissolution

Ending a relationship can be tough, with lots of emotions to work through as well as various legal and practical issues to resolve. Our expert Divorce and Civil Partnership Dissolution Solicitors can guide you forward in the best way for your future and that of your loved ones.

At Butcher & Barlow, our sensitive, personable approach is backed by keen legal expertise and a determination to secure the best possible outcome for our clients. We will adapt to your unique circumstances and the way you want your separation to be handled.

You may be worried about issues such as what sort of financial settlement you will get, what will happen to the family home or what arrangements for your children will look like. Our experts can put your mind at ease with clear advice on your rights and what you can expect to achieve. We will then support you through all of the steps needed to get you there.

Have a question? Please see our divorce and dissolution FAQs or get in touch.

Our experts can help you with matters including:

Applying for and obtaining a divorce or dissolution
Reaching a financial settlement
Making arrangements for children
Protective measures if you are suffering from abusive behaviour

Reasons to choose Butcher & Barlow for your divorce or dissolution

Free initial assessment for most family law issues
Affordable, fixed fees offered wherever possible
Legal aid available for qualifying cases
An experienced Family Team including members and accredited specialists of leading associations, such as the Law Society’s Children Accreditation Scheme and Advanced Family Law Panel, as well as the family law association, Resolution.
Branches throughout Cheshire and Greater Manchester, offering expertise on your doorstep

Contact our Divorce and Civil Partnership Solicitors in the North West of England

To discuss the option of a divorce or civil partnership dissolution and access specialist legal support, please contact us at Butcher & Barlow.

You can call us on +44 (0)161 764 4062 or email enquiries@butcher-barlow.co.uk.

What do our clients say about us?

“Would highly recommend Butcher & Barlow. Professional, legal knowledge second to none and clear precise advice. Excellent all round.”

“At a very stressful time they represented us in a family matter. Throughout the whole proceedings they were completely professional, kept us informed at every stage and supported us on the lead up to and throughout the court proceedings. All staff involved with our case were friendly, courteous and respectful.”

“Excellent service from Angela Gleave for my divorce, professional, efficient and very helpful, very happy with the service I received and would definitely recommend.”

“I dealt with Cathy, and I cannot recommend her enough, she reassured me, had unbelievable knowledge and compassion. I honestly would have had a breakdown without her help in my case. Would 100% recommend this company and Cathy to assist.”

Our divorce services

Divorce application and proceedings

Going through a divorce is naturally a difficult time, yet having high-quality legal support can make the situation less stressful, by ensuring that the process is completed promptly and that any issues are handled swiftly.

Our Divorce Lawyers can provide help throughout every stage of the divorce proceedings, including making the divorce application, applying for a Conditional Order, and later, a Final Order, which confirms the legal end of the marriage.

Financial settlement

When you are going through a divorce one of the most important tasks to organise is reaching a financial settlement. This involves dividing the marital assets between both spouses, including property, pensions, savings and other assets.

In most situations, separating spouses will want to attempt to reach a voluntary financial settlement between themselves and our Solicitors can help explain the way forward and support this. They can negotiate directly where needed, or help with an alternative dispute resolution process such as mediation.

If negotiation, mediation, collaborative law, or another alternative dispute resolution process is not appropriate or is unsuccessful, the parting spouses will need to attend Court, applying for a Financial Order to divide their finances.

Our expert Divorce Solicitors at Butcher & Barlow have much experience and practical advice to offer in helping clients to divide their finances, protecting their interests, and dealing with any issues that may arise.

Child arrangements

Going through a divorce can be particularly difficult where children are involved, and making arrangements for them can be both emotional and complicated.

Our Divorce Solicitors at Butcher & Barlow can offer comprehensive support to help couples to arrange where their children will live, including making shared care arrangements if necessary. We can also help you to finalise how child contact will work, and potentially, agree on child maintenance payments.

We can help divorcing couples with practical advice and, if appropriate, to make arrangements by agreement, for example by using alternative dispute resolution processes like mediation, or where necessary to get help from the Court to obtain orders for the welfare of you and your children.

Our civil partnership dissolution services

Obtaining a civil partnership dissolution

The process to obtain a civil partnership dissolution is similar to the divorce process. Individuals or couples wishing to apply will need to complete a civil partnership dissolution form, and later apply to obtain a Conditional Order and a Final Order, to officially dissolve the civil partnership.

At Butcher & Barlow, our expert Civil Partnership Dissolution Solicitors have much experience assisting clients to dissolve their partnerships, solving any issues that may arise during the process.

Reaching a financial settlement

When going through a civil partnership dissolution, you will likely need to reach a financial settlement, to separate your finances from those of your partner.

Our Solicitors can assist you to negotiate toward a voluntary financial settlement, determining how your assets and liabilities will be split between the two of you.

The goal is to achieve a division of assets that’s fair in your circumstances, yet often partners disagree on how finances should be split. If we cannot assist you to agree using an alternative dispute resolution process, we can help you to go through Court proceedings to reach a financial settlement.

Child arrangements

If you have children and you are going through a civil partnership dissolution, you will need to make arrangements regarding where your children will live, how child care will be divided between both parents, as well as child contact matters.

Our Solicitors at Butcher & Barlow can offer legal advice and common sense know-how with arrangements for children, helping our clients to end their relationship in a way that keeps their children’s best interests at the forefront.

To get support with your problem today, please get in touch.

Get in touch with our Divorce & Civil Partnership Dissolution Solicitors in the North West of England

To discuss the option of a divorce or civil partnership dissolution, and access specialist legal support, please contact us at Butcher & Barlow.

You can call us on +44 (0)161 764 4062 or email enquiries@butcher-barlow.co.uk.

Frequently asked questions about divorce and civil partnerships

How do you get a divorce in the UK?

To get a divorce in the UK, you will need to complete a divorce application form (referred to as form D8), as well as providing a copy of your marriage certificate. The process can be undertaken via an online portal. A solicitor can deal with the process on your behalf if you prefer and will ensure a smooth divorce process, as well as making sure you understand any financial or other consequences of divorce process.

How long does it take to get a divorce?

Obtaining a divorce will take a minimum of 6 months. However, matters such as dividing finances and making arrangements for children can often add time to the process, depending on how complex the situation is. A solicitor can assess this for you once they know all the issues in your case.

How are finances split in a divorce?

Finances are divided according to Section 25 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973. The intention is that the assets are divided fairly under the circumstances.

An equal 50/50 divide is a general starting point for a financial settlement. However, various factors must be taken into account under Section 25, including the earning potential and income of both parties, as well as their financial needs and especially those of their children. Other factors that are considered include the standard of living of the couple during their relationship, any disability that either party has, and how both have offered contribution to the marriage.

In practice an exactly equal division is rarely the outcome and your solicitor can go through the various legal factors and how they will apply in your case – if you proceed without some advice you do risk a substantial financial loss.

Do I need a Solicitor to get a divorce?

It is possible to get divorced without using a Solicitor, however, taking this route makes it more difficult to protect your legal interests. Arranging matters by yourself will also take longer.

Choosing an expert divorce lawyer means that you’ll get the support that you need at every stage, and that any issues can be resolved quickly, always with your best interests in mind.

What is the process of dissolving a civil partnership?

If you would like to dissolve a civil partnership, first, you, or you and your partner, need to complete a civil partnership dissolution application form or via the online portal, and then file this with the Court.

Once the Court have begun to process the application, providing that there are no issues, the individual or couple will need to wait 20 weeks before applying for a Conditional Order, and once this is granted, an additional 6 weeks before applying for the Final Order.

At Butcher & Barlow, our Solicitors can provide comprehensive assistance throughout every stage of the process.

What are the requirements to dissolve a civil partnership?

In order to end a civil partnership, you will need to have been in the partnership for at least one year.

It is not necessary to provide a reason for dissolving the civil partnership, only to confirm that the relationship has irretrievably broken down.

How long does it take to dissolve a civil partnership?

Obtaining a civil partnership takes 6-months minimum, when taking into account the initial application, receiving the Conditional Order, and later the Final Order.

However, cases often take longer because it can take some time to finalise matters regarding finances and any children. Each case is different, depending on how complex the situation is.

How are assets divided in a civil partnership dissolution?

Assets are divided according to what is believed to be a fair split. To determine what is fair, various factors are taken into consideration including how much each partner earns, what their financial needs are, the contribution that both have made to the partnership and especially the needs of any children.

Our Solicitors at Butcher & Barlow can help partners to negotiate a financial settlement between themselves. If the situation means that this is not achievable, we can assist you to settle your finances in Court.