UK Divorce in England and Wales: how the process works
A plain-English walkthrough of no-fault divorce in England and Wales — the 20-week and 6-week waiting periods, conditional and final orders, and why finances are separate.
Divorce in Scotland: how it differs from the rest of the UK
Scotland has its own divorce law. The grounds, the timescales, the way property is divided and even the terminology differ from England and Wales.
Divorce in Northern Ireland: grounds, timescales and procedure
Northern Ireland retains fault-based divorce grounds and the decree nisi and decree absolute terminology. Here is how the process works.
What a divorce actually costs in the UK
Court fees, solicitor fees, fixed-fee versus hourly billing, mediation costs, and the decisions that make a separation expensive.
How to choose a family law solicitor
How to check a firm is regulated, what to ask at the first meeting, and how to read online reviews of legal services sensibly.
Legal aid and free help with divorce
Where legal aid is still available across the UK, and the free sources of help worth trying if you do not qualify.
Pensions on divorce: the asset people forget
Pensions are often the largest asset in a divorce after the house, and the rules differ sharply between Scotland and England and Wales. How sharing, offsetting and attachment work.
Child maintenance: how the amount is actually worked out
The Child Maintenance Service uses a published statutory formula, not discretion. The rates, the shared-care reductions, the fees, and when to use CMS instead of a private arrangement.
Cohabiting couples: what you are and are not entitled to
There is no such thing as common law marriage in the UK — but Scotland gives cohabitants real financial claims that England and Wales do not. The difference is large.
Consent orders and clean breaks: why a handshake is not enough
An informal financial agreement leaves claims open indefinitely. What a consent order does, what a clean break means, and how Scotland handles the same problem differently.
What happens to the family home
Sell and split, buy the other out, or defer the sale until the children finish school — the realistic options for the family home, and how occupation rights work.
Protective orders and getting safe
Non-molestation orders, occupation orders, Scottish interdicts and exclusion orders — what protection is available, how fast it can be obtained, and where legal aid still applies.