Divorce Solicitors in Manchester & Stockport

The dedicated Divorce Solicitors at Clifford Johnston & Co. are exceptionally skilful in this complicated aspect of family law.

We take a personalised approach to each case, working collaboratively with you to ensure the best possible results.

Ending a marriage can be extremely emotional and stressful with issues surrounding your children, finances and property all adding to your concerns.

The highly recommended Divorce Solicitors at our Manchester and Stockport offices are ready to help you cope with the many decisions you have to make, and to help remove the uncertainty and worry that you currently face. We regularly act for clients across Cheshire and surrounding areas, providing trusted support during challenging times.

Our reassuring and friendly team are here to support and advise you, while helping to unravel the individual complexities and difficulties of your own specific situation to ultimately achieve the best possible outcome for you so that you can finally move forward with your life.

Our expert divorce solicitors are here to support you.

Our divorce law specialists have a breadth of experience when it comes to helping clients with their divorce and the many varied and wide-ranging issues that can arise.

No two situations are exactly the same, so it is essential that you take professional advice that is tailored to your precise circumstances. Our specialist Divorce Solicitors are highly experienced in this complex area of law and will provide you with in-depth, bespoke advice to ensure the best possible outcome and conclusion for you.

We regularly provide high-quality family law services to clients throughout Greater Manchester and Cheshire, across many specialist areas, including:

• Divorce financial settlements
• Business and divorce
• Pensions on divorce
• Property on divorce
• Financial claims after divorce or separation
• Child arrangement orders
• International child relocation
• Divorce for high net worth individuals

What is the basis for getting a divorce?

Following recent (and welcome) changes to the process, the divorce process is now ‘no fault’.  If you want a divorce, you simply need to show that your marriage has permanently broken down. The Court relies upon your declaration of this.

The applicant must then decide whether they are going to make a joint application together with their spouse, or a sole application.  We can assist you with deciding which is the best process for you.

Of course, formally divorcing is just one option available should you separate.  At Clifford Johnston & Co. our family law solicitors can provide you will the advice you need and help decide which is best for you.  If you decide that you would prefer to separate from your partner or spouse at this stage, rather than divorcing, we can advise on the options open to you such as Separation Deeds to confirm your agreement on your finances and other matters such as those relating to any children.

How long does it take to get a divorce?

The new process is supposed to take 26 weeks, provided there are no complicating factors, such as difficulties in serving your spouse with the documents, or their not responding quickly, or at all.  We can help you to overcome any problems of this nature.

Will I have to go to court during divorce proceedings?

We often find that clients are extremely concerned about having to go to court to settle matters relating to their divorce including finances and child custody.

However, with the help of our solicitors, many of our clients are able to avoid attending court by coming to an amicable agreement through negotiation and mediation. Our family law team is highly skilled at helping clients reach a resolution in a collaborative way, which not only minimises the stress but also keeps legal costs down.

Once any agreement is reached, it will be approved by a court to ensure its legality and fairness to both parties, but you will not need to attend.

Even if it isn’t possible to reach an early settlement and contested proceedings are issued by one of the parties, the vast majority of such cases will still be capable of settlement by consent, avoiding a final hearing.

What will happen to my children?

In most cases, parents make the decisions relating to child arrangements themselves and in such cases, there is no need to make any application to the court. If there are any significant disputes, we will be able to advise you about these and help you to reach agreement, through negotiations and through accessing help from a trained Mediator if necessary.  We will support you in trying to reach amicable agreements without the need to issue court proceedings, which should always be considered only as a last resort.

If mediation fails and you are unable to come to an agreement with regard to access arrangements for your children, the court will come to a decision about where a child should live and the contact they will have with their other parent. This will all be decided in the child’s best interests taking into consideration, the feelings and wishes of the child, the likely effect of the decision on them, their specific emotional, physical and educational needs, the capability of each parent and characteristics of the child such as age, gender, background and anything else that the court considers to be relevant.

What is a clean-break divorce?

Many divorcing couples opt for what is known as a ‘clean-break’ divorce, which allows them to completely separate their finances without ongoing spousal maintenance payments. When a clean break order has been made neither party will be able to request further maintenance payments or access to assets, but in the event of changing circumstances variations can be made to child maintenance.

What should I do next?

If you want to apply for a divorce, have been served a divorce petition by your partner or if you are not getting the results you need from your existing solicitor, then we can help.

Contact us today and we can have an initial chat about your particular situation and will arrange an appointment for you.

It is useful if you can bring:

• Photo I.D. such as your passport or driving licence and something with your name and address such as a recent utility bill.
• Your marriage or civil partnership certificate.
• Any letters or documents that you have received from your partner’s solicitor.
• Any documents sent to you by the court.

Contact the divorce law experts in Manchester and Stockport

We understand completely the emotional toll that a divorce can take but we are here to help you reach a clear and amicable agreement as swiftly as possible.

Our friendly team will deal with your enquiry sensitively and with understanding so contact us today for helpful and supportive advice. Our divorce lawyers are based at both of our offices and their vast experience makes them an integral part of our team of Family Solicitors in Stockport & in Manchester.

With offices in Stockport (Heaton Moor) & Manchester (Burnage), our expert solicitors are easily accessible.  We represent clients not only locally and throughout Stockport, Cheshire, Lancashire & Manchester but also across the United Kingdom.

You can count on us to help and guide you whatever your challenge or circumstance, with expert legal advice tailored to your personal situation.

During the current Covid-19 crisis we can make arrangements to take instructions from you by telephone or video conferencing and will still be able to access the courts to deal with any emergency applications which may need to be made.

Contact our family law solicitors in Stockport and Manchester today for an initial consultation and make the first steps towards solving whatever family law issues you are facing.