In April 2022, new provisions were introduced under the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act. Under the Act, ‘no-fault’ divorce was introduced. Before the legislation was passed in June 2020, it was commonly argued that the existing options for divorce were complicated and challenging to understand. It was claimed that the process was ‘outdated’ and ‘unnecessarily provocative’, so the update has been welcomed by solicitors and would-be divorcees alike.
What is No-fault divorce?
The legislation update aims to:
- Replace the historic ‘five grounds’ for divorce and allows couples to divorce without the need to assign fault.
- Remove the possibility of contesting a divorce.
- Introduce the option to apply for a divorce jointly.
- Update the language used throughout the divorce process to plain English.
Find out everything you need to know about no-fault divorce here.
Joint divorce application
Since the introduction of no-fault divorce in April 2022, most provisional applications were still sole applications. According to an article in The Law Society Gazette and HMCTS, there were 49,344 provisional divorce applications between April 2022 and July 2022, of which only 10,290 were joint applications.
We may see these figures increase with the ability to divorce jointly and without attaching blame which has likely simplified the process for many.
Family Law Solicitors South East London
At Beverley Morris & Co., our family solicitors in Blackheath understand how stressful the breakdown of a relationship can be; therefore, we are on hand to assist you with all aspects of your divorce, including financial and child arrangements.
Please contact our friendly team today on 020 8852 4433 or email enquiries@beverleymorris.co.uk. Alternatively, fill in this contact form, and we will get back to you.