Court Proceedings

When an agreement cannot be reached through negotiation about finances or children, it will be necessary to take your divorce to a court for a judicial decision.

Court proceedings are necessary if:

• your spouse is not giving you all the financial information you need to make a decision
• there is no hope of negotiating a fair financial settlement after the divorce
• there are complex financial issues that you need a divorce court to help you sort out, to get a financial settlement on divorce
• there is an international element: if divorce proceedings may be started in another country, it may be necessary to issue divorce proceedings immediately in England and Wales

How do I get started with court proceedings for a divorce?

If you want to issue proceedings about finances, then you will need to have started divorce proceedings first.

Court proceedings about children are separate from the divorce process.

How long will the court proceedings for divorce take?

Proceedings are likely to take at least 6 months to obtain a Decree Absolute/final Divorce Order. But because it is usual to wait before making the Decree Absolute, until the finances have been sorted out, the process may take longer.

Wondering how to prepare for your meeting with us? Follow our guide to know what to expect.