UK Divorce Law Set To Change
As anyone who has been through a divorce will know, the process can be long-winded and painful. One of the biggest issues with the law is it currently stands is the need to allocate blame to one partner for the breakdown of the relationship.
Currently, anyone seeking a divorce has to prove their partner is to blame due to adultery, desertion or unreasonable behaviour. Failing that, and as long as both partners agree, you can divorce after two years of separation. If there is no agreement, you have to wait until you’ve been living apart for five years.
However, justice secretary David Gauke has announced that the law will be reformed in the next session of parliament to allow no-fault divorces.
This will mean that couples can avoid lengthy courtroom battles, as well as avoid having to wait for years before they can finalise their divorce if they don’t want to allocate blame.
Speaking to The Guardian, Nigel Shepherd, former chairman of the family law organisation Resolution, commented: “Our members, and the families they work with, will be delighted that after years of campaigning, we are now so close to ending the ‘blame game’ that many divorcing couples are currently forced to play.”
Harper’s Bazaar revealed that the new legislation surrounding divorce could be introduced as early as May this year.
If you are going through a separation or marriage breakdown, it’s important to talk to solicitors to get advice about how to proceed depending on your situation. And with the change in the law expected so soon, it could mean that the process is less stressful for you than you’d imagined.