Let’s Have a Quickie

You read time and again in the papers of celebrity couples obtaining a “quickie divorce”. Or online divorce companies promising a “quickie divorce “This suggests one rule for them and another for us mere mortals.

Let’s dispel the myth that celebrities get divorced quicker, there has never been a “Quickie” Divorce route. They have to follow the exact same process that anyone else would have to follow in order to obtain a divorce. What the press often refer to is the family court hearing for the party’s decree nisi and not a final divorce at all. To get to this point in the divorce process, the Respondent to the divorce proceedings has to acknowledge receipt of the Petitioner’s divorce petition and this allows the Petitioner to lodge with the court his or her application for a decree nisi, see divorce flow chart below.

The decree nisi is the stage where the court will declare the Petitioner has grounds for a divorce and will place the parties’ names in a list on a future date to pronounce the decree nisi in open court. In reality very few people will actually attend the court hearing for the pronouncement of the decree nisi, often only doing so if the Respondent objects to an application by the Petitioner for an order that the Petitioner’s legal costs should be met by the Respondent.
The Decree Nisi is not the end of the divorce process either. The marriage will not be dissolved by the pronouncement of the decree nisi. In fact, the Petitioner will need to wait a further 6 weeks before being able to make an application for the decree absolute, at which point the divorce will be finalised.
No one can say with certainty how long the process will be. The reason for that is the process relies on the parties themselves responding to documents and if they delay, then the process is delayed.

Professional Advice

Divorce law has a strict set of stages that must be followed in order to end your marriage or to dissolve your civil partnership. These stages have waiting periods built in to allow your partner to respond if they wish to oppose the divorce or they have matters to resolve with you. In divorce law generally speaking it takes around 6 months to complete divorce proceedings in cases where there are no financial issues between you and your partner. Resolving financial matters in divorce law can slow down the divorce process; in many cases it can take up to a year to complete the process and possibly longer in complex cases.
You may consider an online company promising a Quickie divorce. They cannot circumvent the process set out above.

At Vincents Mark Mosley and the team are expert divorce law solicitors, they are here to help you to end your relationship in a way that allows you the freedom to get on with your life. For a full discussion with Mark or one of our divorce law experts about ending your marriage or dissolving your civil partnership and the financial implications of a divorce and your legal options please call us today.