Divorce and Separation

When a marriage breaks down, it is likely to cause heartbreak, uncertainty and worry. If a divorce becomes inevitable, there are various issues you will need to deal with, including navigating divorce proceedings, separating your finances and making arrangements for any children you have.

At Tanners Solicitors, our Family Law team provide clear, knowledgeable divorce advice in an empathetic and straight forward manner. We know how stressful going through a divorce can be, so it’s our job to make the whole process easier for you and your loved ones.

Most people would prefer to handle their divorce amicably, without the need for court proceedings. Our team offers strong skills in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), meaning we can typically guide clients through every aspect of divorce while keeping conflict to a minimum.

Our divorce solicitors in Cirencester and Cheltenham can help you with every part of the divorce process, including:

Our typical clients include a wide range of people, including those with significant assets across the Cotswolds, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, as well as in London and throughout the UK.

We have particular expertise in matters including High Net Worth divorce, divorce for farming families and divorce for business owners and their spouses.

Whilst we might not be able to take away the heartache of divorce, we will remove the uncertainty and worry. Our team are here to empower our clients to take control of the divorce process and their lives.

If you would like to speak to one of our solicitors in Cirencester or Cheltenham for specialist divorce advice, you can contact us in one of the following ways:

How we can help with your divorce

No fault divorce proceedings

Whether you are initiating divorce proceedings or need to respond to divorce proceedings started by your spouse, we can help you to navigate the various stages involved as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

Our divorce solicitors in Cirencester can assist with preparing all necessary paperwork and ensure it is submitted promptly, minimising the likelihood of any errors or other potential sources of delay. We can also advise and represent you if your spouse chooses to defend the divorce or should you need to defend divorce proceedings started by your spouse.

Divorce financial settlement

Separating your finances during divorce can be very complicated and contentious, especially where there are complex and/or high value assets involved. It is essential to get the right legal support so you can achieve a fair settlement that meets your immediate and long-term needs.

Our divorce lawyers are highly skilled in handling divorce finances, including for High Net Worth clients. We can assist with negotiating a voluntary financial settlement using methods such as mediation and collaborative law. We can also guide you through applications to a Family Court for Financial Orders where required.

Find out more about our expertise with Divorce & Finances and Spousal Maintenance.

Arrangements for children

When going through a divorce with children, their wellbeing will be your top priority. Our team understands this and will work closely with you to achieve the best outcome possible for your children while defending your rights as a parent.

Our divorce solicitors can assist with reaching an amicable agreement with your former spouse over where your children will live, what contact they will have with each parent and other key decisions. Where an amicable agreement cannot be made, or this approach is not appropriate, we can also assist with applying to a Family Court for a Child Arrangements Order.

Find out more about our expertise with Arrangements for Children.

How we handle divorce for our clients

Using Alternative Dispute Resolution for divorce

In the vast majority of cases, the various aspects of getting divorced can now be handled without the need for contentious court proceedings. To this end, our team offers methods of Alternative Dispute Resolution, including family mediation and collaborative law, which offer various advantages. Meg Moss is a trained Collaborative lawyer in family matters.

In general, using ADR to make arrangements for your finances and any children you have will be faster and less costly than relying on court proceedings. It is also typically much less stressful and can allow you to maintain a better relationship with your former spouse in future, which can be particularly important when you have children together.

Family court proceedings for divorce

Should it be necessary to make an application to a Family Court for financial matters and arrangements for children, we can advise you on your options, help you to prepare and ensure you have the best available representation for any hearings that take place.

No fault divorce explained

What are the grounds for divorce?

To obtain a divorce, the applicant (previously petitioner) or joint applicants only need to satisfy one ground, namely the ‘irretrievable breakdown of the marriage’.

What is the timescale for divorce?

It’s understandable that when you make the decision to get divorced from your ex-partner, that you want to know how long the process is going to take. There are many different aspects involved in a divorce, including progressing the divorce through the court, negotiating a financial settlement, and making arrangements for the children.

The Divorce proceedings will take a minimum of 26 weeks (6 months). The time between the application being issued by the court and when the applicant(s) can apply for the Conditional Order (previously Decree Nisi) is a minimum wait of 20 weeks.

Once the Conditional Order has been issued by the courts, there is a further 6 weeks wait, and the applicants can then apply for the Final Order (previously Decree Absolute). However, the Courts often take time to deal with the different stages of the Divorce and therefore, a realistic timescale for the Divorce proceedings is 9 to 12 months.

The financial settlement and arrangements for children can be negotiated at any point during the divorce process, but to apply to the Court for a Financial Order will require the pronouncement of the Conditional Order. Technically the Financial Order does not become effective until the Final Order is made in the Divorce.

Can no fault divorce be contested?

While contesting a divorce was possible under the previous divorce law, the new legislation does not allow divorces to be contested except in very limited circumstances, such as fraud, the marriage was not legally valid, or you are already divorced. A Divorce can also be contested on the basis of jurisdiction.

Why choose Tanners for your divorce?

With many years of experience handling every aspect of divorce for a wide range of clients, we can provide straightforward, clear, empathetic advice with a strong understanding of the various issues than can arise and how to deal with them effectively.

Our Family Law team benefits from the experience and expertise of the department’s lead partner David Milburn, who has over 20 years’ experience in Family Law. He is described by Legal 500 as follows:

“A highly astute divorce lawyer who takes charge of cases and ensures that they are kept moving with purpose, ultimately delivering very satisfying conclusions”

“A great tactician”

Our other family Partner is Meg Moss.  She also specialises in the financial aspects of Divorce and separation. Chambers says as follows:

"Meg Moss is absolutely excellent. She is extremely professional, always up to date, and knows cases inside out."

Our other highly rated solicitor is Satya Bagga. She advises in relation to all family matters, including Divorce, although she has particular expertise in complex children matters.

Tanners Solicitors is independently regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

Speak to our divorce solicitors in Cirencester and Cheltenham today

To discuss your requirements with one of our friendly, expert no fault divorce solicitors in Cirencester or Cheltenham, you can contact us in one of the following ways: