Getting divorced from your spouse can be an extremely emotional time in your life, matters can quickly become complicated when you have established a life together. There are many different aspects to consider during the process, including how finances will be divided and where any children will primarily live.
Divorce can be a difficult process to navigate and potentially lead to conflict between spouses. Fortunately, such conflict can be lessened or avoided with the assistance of an expert solicitor. At Ashtons Legal, our divorce solicitors in Bury St Edmunds recognise divorce as an emotionally charged process and strive to provide proficient advice, helping to reduce the stress that often accompanies such legal matters.
Our expert family law team at Ashtons Legal are highly acknowledged for the divorce service we provide to clients in Bury St Edmunds through several outstanding accreditations, including being ranked tier 2 for Family Law by the Legal 500, as well as being ranked band 2 by Chambers & Partners.
We believe in collaborative approaches to resolving family law matters and encourage our clients to consider non-contentious approaches, including Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) methods such as private negotiation, family mediation and collaborative law. We find this helps our clients to reduce the likelihood of court proceedings and the stress, cost and time that accompanies it.
Our Bury St Edmunds divorce lawyers can help you with:
- Applying for divorce proceedings
- Responding to divorce proceedings
- Divorce financial settlements
- Childcare arrangements
Our solicitors at Ashtons Legal are further able to assist with other legal matters that often arise with divorce proceedings, including dealing with your family home and/or updating your Will should you need it.
Book a consultation with our divorce lawyers in Bury St Edmunds
During the first appointment with one of our experienced family lawyers, we will discuss your circumstances and how our solicitors can help you. This can be over the phone or via videoconferencing for your convenience.
To book your divorce advice consultation, please contact our Bury St Edmunds office, or you can use our online enquiry form to request a callback.
How we can help with divorce advice in Bury St Edmunds
Applying for divorce proceedings
Many married couples choose to divorce for various reasons, but no matter the reason, it is an understandably difficult experience to go through. A solicitor can provide valuable guidance, helping you make your decision and advising on the steps involved during the process.
Since the change of law in April 2022, applying for divorce has been a more straightforward process, both parties can make a joint application if appropriate, and offering a reason for the divorce is no longer required.
While divorce is now easier to apply for, it’s still highly encouraged to seek the help of a solicitor during the application process. Our solicitors can ensure everything is correctly filled out to make certain you don’t face any delays in obtaining your divorce.
Responding to divorce proceedings
In circumstances where a sole application was applied for at court, the respondent is required to respond to the divorce proceedings using an acknowledgement of service form. The form confirms that the respondent is aware their spouse is seeking a divorce and that divorce proceedings have begun.
Our solicitors can walk you through the steps involved in divorce and can assist with completing and submitting the response to the divorce application form, ensuring that everything has been done correctly.
Divorce financial settlements
During divorce, the division of finances is often the most contentious aspect, with many spouses having entirely different opinions on how assets should be split.
Our solicitors have a wealth of expertise in helping clients navigate their divorce financial settlements, including in more complex cases where one spouse may have a higher net worth and more challenging assets. We approach each matter with sensitivity, providing realistic advice about what can be achieved and directing you in the best way to get what you need.
Our divorce financial settlement solicitors can assist with the division of finances for assets, including:
- Investments
- Savings
- Pensions
- Properties
- Businesses
- Personal belongings
- Inheritances.
Childcare arrangements
For married couples with children, alongside the division of finances, arranging where children will primarily live and the type of contact each parent will be entitled to can lead to many disagreements and upset. Many parents have different views on parenting and concerns about the impact on their parent-child relationship. Seeking advice and guidance from a skilled solicitor can help find an appropriate solution that best suits the interests of all involved.
At Ashtons Legal, we understand how important your relationship with your child is and strive to find the best solution that does not impose on this. We believe in taking a strategic approach to resolving childcare arrangements through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), including negotiation and support with family mediation, but should you need assistance from the court, our specialist family lawyers have the expertise and representation skills required.
Our child arrangement solicitors in Bury St Edmunds can provide specialist advice on matters including:
- Making a child arrangement agreement
- Applying for a child arrangement order
- Specific issue orders (allowing parents to take certain actions)
- Prohibited steps orders (preventing parents from taking certain actions).
Why choose our divorce solicitors in Bury St Edmunds?
Our specialist team of solicitors for divorce in Bury St Edmunds can offer you:
- Decades of specialist divorce experience
- A convenient, modern service
- Quick response times – we will always get back to you quickly
- Flexible funding arrangements to suit your circumstances.
In addition, we are proud that our friendly and approachable lawyers have been recognised for their outstanding divorce service, including:
- Ranked Tier 2 for Family Law by the Legal 500
- Ranked Band 2 by Chambers & Partners
- Most of the Ashtons Legal family law solicitors are members of Resolution, the UK’s leading network for family lawyers
Our divorce law fees
At Ashtons Legal, we believe in providing flexible funding options so that we can assist clients no matter their circumstances.
Fixed fees – Where a divorce is more straightforward, our team can provide a fixed fee, helping our clients have more certainty over the expected cost of assisting you.
Bespoke fees – Where your divorce is more complex and needs a higher level of support, we may charge an hourly fee.
Deferred fee agreements – We may defer costs until you have received the financial settlement.
When you make the decision to work with our team for your divorce, we will first take the time to carefully review your circumstances, allowing us to decide the most appropriate funding route to suit your needs.
Book a consultation with our divorce lawyers in Bury St Edmunds
To arrange an initial consultation with one of our divorce lawyers, please contact our Bury St Edmund office, or you can use our online enquiry form to request a callback.