Divorce law no longer asks who was at fault — but it still decides where the money goes, where the children live and how cleanly you both move on. Connaught Law's divorce solicitors act for clients across London and internationally: amicable and uncontested divorces handled without inflaming them, and contested finances fought properly when it matters.
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How We Can Help
The No-Fault Divorce Process
Since the no-fault reforms, divorce requires only a statement that the marriage has broken down irretrievably — no blame, no conduct allegations, and the option of a joint application by both spouses. The process runs online through a 20-week reflection period to the conditional order, then six more weeks to the final order. The divorce itself is now the simple part; the decisions that matter sit alongside it.
Financial Settlements
Dividing the money is where divorces are really decided: the home, pensions — routinely undervalued in DIY settlements — businesses, savings and ongoing support, starting from full mutual disclosure. Our guides on financial orders, Form E disclosure and who gets the house cover the ground in depth; we negotiate settlements that hold, and litigate the ones that can't be agreed.
Why You Need a Financial Order
The trap in modern divorce: the final order ends the marriage but not the financial claims between you. Without a sealed financial order — even a simple clean-break consent order — an ex-spouse can bring claims years later, against money you haven't earned yet. If you agree on everything, the right service is short and inexpensive: we turn your agreement into a binding order and close the door properly.
Children
Arrangements for children run on their own track — where they live, how time is shared, school and holiday logistics — ideally agreed between parents, with the court as backstop rather than starting point. Our child arrangements service covers agreements, orders and enforcement, and our child maintenance guide explains the money side.
International Divorce
Where lives span countries, the first question is often where to divorce — jurisdiction can change the financial outcome dramatically, and timing can decide jurisdiction. We act in cross-border divorces involving foreign assets, expat couples and competing proceedings; our international divorce guide maps the terrain, and where immigration status is tied to the marriage, our guide on staying in the UK after divorce — backed by our immigration team — answers the question that keeps people in bad marriages.
Amicable & Uncontested Divorce
Most couples want out cleanly, not expensively — and the law now supports that: joint applications, agreed finances turned into consent orders, and mediation where a neutral helps you reach the deal. Good advice makes amicable divorces more amicable, because each of you knows the agreement is fair before signing it — and it can't unravel later.
How We Work
First conversation: where you stand, what the realistic settlement range looks like, and the route that fits — negotiation, mediation, or court where protection demands it. We keep the temperature down as a strategy, not a nicety: acrimony is expensive, and the settlement money should go to your family, not the fight. The official process is at gov.uk; the judgment about what's fair for you is where we come in.
Where there's urgency — assets being moved, hostility, safety concerns — we act fast, including freezing applications and our domestic abuse protections where needed.
Why Connaught Law
01Settlement-first, court-readyMost divorces should settle. Ours settle on properly informed terms, with litigation ready if the other side won't.
02The financial order, alwaysNo client of ours leaves a divorce with claims still open. The clean break is the point.
03Senior attention throughoutYour matter is run by our experienced family team, not passed down — with direct access to the person handling it.
04International reachCross-border assets, expat couples and visa-linked marriages — family and immigration under one roof.
Fee structures are set out on our fees page — fixed fees for defined stages wherever possible, agreed before we start.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a divorce take in the UK?
Around seven months at minimum — the built-in 20-week reflection period plus six weeks between conditional and final order, with processing time on top. Financial settlements run in parallel and often take longer; sensible couples use the reflection period to agree the finances so both conclude together.
Can we divorce amicably with one application?
Yes — the no-fault system allows joint applications, and nobody has to blame anyone. Each of you should still take independent advice on the financial settlement before it's finalised: an agreement both sides understand and know to be fair is the most durable kind of amicable.
What happens to our finances if we don't get a court order?
The claims stay open — indefinitely. The final divorce order ends the marriage, not the financial relationship, and ex-spouses have successfully claimed against wealth built years after separation. A consent order embodying your agreement, or a clean-break order where there's nothing to divide, closes the risk permanently and cheaply.
Do we split everything 50/50?
Equality is the starting point for the marital pot, not a rule: needs — especially housing children — earning capacity, the length of the marriage and pre-marital or inherited assets all move the outcome. Pensions count and are frequently forgotten. What's fair for your family is a judgment call; that's what the advice is for.
Thinking about divorce — or already in one?
Tell us your situation. We'll give you the realistic picture on process, money and children — and a route that gets you through it with your future intact.
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