Family lawyers in Sheffield and other cities across the UK are bracing themselves in anticipation of a rise in divorce cases once the new ‘no fault’ financial settlement rules are brought into law.
Family law firms tend to find January a busy time for helping families to sort arrangements for children, finances, property and other legal matters involved in a divorce following a stressful Christmas period where relationships have already been strained for some time.
However, legal staff are expecting a flood of new inquiries from couples wishing to split up when the new upcoming changes to divorce proceedings are introduced from April 2022.
The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill 2020 will introduce ‘no-fault’ divorces into England and Wales on the 6th April 2022. The new ‘no-fault divorce’ will mean that unhappy couples can get divorced without either partner being to blame for the breakdown of the marriage.
What the new rules mean
This means that married couples in Sheffield wishing to divorce will have an easier time separating because the couple won’t need any proof of wrongdoing, such as adultery or unreasonable behaviour.
One or both parties can state their marriage has broken down, and couples can legally separate with no contest from the other party.
Currently, the accepted grounds for divorce in same-sex couples are unreasonable behaviour, two years of desertion, or where the parties have been living apart for five years, and consent of the other party to divorce is not required.
The new changes affect the traditional practice of couples having to separate and wait for at least two years, or five years in some cases, before they can officially divorce.
The removal of having to lay the blame at the feet of one or other parties, and waiting around for years, is expected to see a sharp increase in the number of divorces in Sheffield and across the country.
Long overdue law changes
Many people believe that this change in the divorce law is long overdue. No-fault divorces have been talked about for a long time, and law firms have been waiting for years for this to become an option for unhappy couples.
It is thought that England and Wales have lagged behind other countries that have a more progressive approach to marriage and divorce law. Being divorced no longer carries the stigma it used to have in society, so the introduction of no-fault divorce proceedings will help to improve the experience of couples that wish to cut ties and move on with their lives.
Playing the blame game is one of the most heartbreaking actions of a divorce, so freeing couples from this painful mudslinging process can only help improve divorce negotiations and settlement agreements.
Parting ways amicably
Marriages break down for all sorts of reasons, and often there is no blame to be placed on either party. Many couples simply grow out of love and wish to part without hurting the other unnecessarily.
It is thought that many couples are still married simply because they don’t want to go through a messy divorce, yet are already living separate lives.
It is thought that having a no-fault divorce will enable many thousands of married couples living like this to separate amicably, allowing them to go on to forge relationships with someone new.
As ever, it can help your no-fault divorce to go more smoothly if you have the support of a professional family law firm to help guide you through the divorce process.
