Divorce, Judicial Separation, And Annulment Solicitors, London
When facing a relationship breakdown, you need to feel complete trust in the Solicitor you choose to help you get through this highly emotional time. You must feel confident that the Solicitor you choose has the specialist legal expertise to fight for and protect your best interests without compromise. It is just as important that your solicitor can feel compassion yet remain objective and show understanding and patience with you during this difficult and overwhelming time when often your usual clear judgement may feel clouded. You will be right to choose our team to be your focused, strong skilled advocates.
Anglo Law Solicitors work with carefully selected and trusted experts including barristers, psychiatrists, forensic accountants, actuaries, and private investigators, all of whom assist us with providing first in class support to our clients. In addition, our family law team deliver a discreet and strictly confidential service from the moment we are initially contacted and can manage any media interest in your divorce.
Contact our Divorce and Annulment Solicitors in London
The right solicitor changes everything. Anglo Law Solicitors provides expert legal advice on Divorce, Judicial Separation and Annulments.
Speak directly to a family solicitor now on 020 3741 9583 or complete our online contact form for your free consultation. For evening and weekend assistance, please call our family law solicitors on 07749 448362.
How we can help
At Anglo Law, our family law team, led by Shabana Sultana, take their commitment to providing high-quality, shrewd legal advice and robust representation seriously. We are members of Resolution, an organisation of 6,500 Solicitors committed to following a strict Code of Practice and resolving family disputes in a non-confrontational way. Anglo Law also holds a Lexcel accreditation, awarded by the Law Society of England and Wales to firms demonstrating the highest level of practice management standards and client care.
We are not afraid to take on challenges and have built a reputation for handling the most complex divorce, judicial separation, and annulment cases, often with an international or cross-cultural element. Our family law team is pragmatic, efficient, and determined – we find out what success means for you and then work tirelessly to achieving those objectives.
As passionate advocates for access to justice, we offer fixed fees on all services and provide flexible payment plans, instalment plans and monthly direct debits. We can also recommend litigation lenders, approved by the SRA, who offer loans to clients wishing to start legal proceedings.
We are a paperless office and our team embrace digital technology to allow our clients the flexibility in how they receive their legal advice. If you are unable to meet in person, we can talk via video conferencing. We also provide 24-hour real-time updates on your matter through our client portal.
What are the grounds for divorce in England and Wales?
The only ground for divorce in England and Wales is that the marriage has “irretrievably broken down” due to one of the following factors:
- Adultery
- Unreasonable behaviour
- Desertion
- Separation of two years or more (with consent)
- Separation of five years or more (no consent required)
The Supreme Court decision in Owens v Owens, during which judges refused to grant a divorce to a woman simply because she was unhappily married, has made many people nervous about citing unreasonable behaviour. Our team have years of experience in drafting divorce petitions and negotiating examples of behaviour our client cannot reasonably be expected to live with. We will ensure the details of your petition are clear and work with your spouse’s Solicitor to reach an amicable agreement.
Will I need to go to court to get a divorce and how much will it cost me?
When both parties agree that the marriage has broken down irreconcilably and where both husband and wife agree they want a divorce then the divorce will be generally “undefended” in such circumstance.
Where a divorce is “undefended” there is no need for either party to attend court. In undefended divorces only, the divorce can be completed by your solicitor drafting the legal documentation and corresponding with the court on your behalf. An undefended divorce can take between 4 to 6 months to finalise.
How much will my divorce cost?
We charge one simple fixed fee for undefended divorces at £499 plus vat. We will draft all the legal documents and undertake all the legal work on your behalf to dissolve your marriage and obtain your Decree Absolute.
If your divorce involves sorting out property, finances and arrangements for children then this will need to be negotiated and resolved separately. It is recommended that all financial matters relating to money and property are finalised before you apply for your final decree absolute. It is always sensible where possible to settle the financial matters through out-of-court negotiations and without formal court proceedings. Settling your financial matters without going to court will obviously save time and money which is better spent on your family’s new future.
As members of Resolution, we aim to assist clients with resolving disputes through alternative dispute resolution methods such as mediation and/or round-table negotiation. We can also engage in Collaborative law, where instead of conducting negotiations by letter or over the telephone, the discussions take place over a series of “four-way meetings”.
Not all cases can be settled out of court. To have meaningful negotiations it is necessary for both sides to be reasonable and willing to compromise. We know it is not always possible to settle all cases in this way and sometimes court proceedings must be started simply to bring a swift end to an impasse in negotiations.
If we see negotiations are becoming futile and mediation has broken down, we will waste no time whatsoever in getting your case into court and timetabled so it can be finalised as quickly as possible. We are very proactive solicitors and bring cases to a swift successful end so you can finally move on with your new life. We partner with very skilled family barristers to ensure you benefit from the best legal team and strong representation in court. We have also built close trusted relationships with various experts in their field, who can provide detailed evidence to support your case.
What is the difference between divorce and judicial separation?
Judicial separation provides an alternative for couples who do not wish to divorce. Judicial separation does not end the marriage; however, you will no longer have a duty to live with your spouse, a financial order can be made, and if one spouse dies intestate (without a Will), their property devolves as if the other party to the marriage had died, so the surviving spouse will not benefit.
Judicial separation proceedings follow a similar format to divorce proceedings. As judicial separations are rare, and often involve culturally sensitive issues, few family law solicitors have experience in the process. With over 20 years’ experience, Shabana has advised on many judicial separations and has a reputation for negotiating and winning generous financial settlements for her clients.
What is an annulment?
An annulment legally ends a marriage, declaring it null and void. Unlike a divorce, you do not have to be married for a year before being able to apply for an annulment. To gain an annulment, one or more of the following conditions must be met:
- you and your spouse are closely related
- at the time of marriage, either you or your spouse was under 16 years old
- at the time of marriage, one of you was already married or in a civil partnership
- the marriage has not been consummated (this cannot apply to same-sex marriages)
- one of you did not consent to the marriage
- the person you married had a sexually transmitted disease when you married them
- in a heterosexual marriage, the woman was pregnant by another man when you were married
Our family law team will work efficiently to ensure your marriage is annulled so you can move forward with your life. And if a financial settlement is warranted, we will ensure your interests are protected, and you receive a fair and just amount.
Anglo law solicitors serve client across the following areas:
The City of London, Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Southwark, Bishopsgate, Billingsgate, Canary Wharf, Spitalfields, Aldgate, Bethnal Green, Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets, Redbridge, Kent, Tunbridge Wells, West Malling, Chafford Hundred, Chelmsford, Brentwood, Epping & Loughton
