Legal firm welcomes divorce law shake-up
A Shropshire law firm has welcomed changes to divorce proceedings which come into force this spring.
Wace Morgan Solicitors, which specialise in family issues from the firm’s head office in St Mary’s Street, Shrewsbury, has said that the new system will be a major improvement.
“Divorce law in England and Wales has remained unchanged for almost 50 years but it is about to alter radically with the introduction of ‘no-fault’ divorces,” said Sue Leach, an associate with Wace Morgan.
“At present, couples unwilling to wait two years for the consent of the other spouse or five years if the other spouse does not consent must ‘blame’ the other for the relationship breakdown,” said Sue, who has extensive expertise in divorce and separation matters.
“Under the new law, a spouse or a couple may apply jointly for a divorce by making a statement of irretrievable breakdown. Allegations of behaviour and the need to blame the other will no longer be required.
“The aim is to reduce hostility and encourage separating couples and their children to move forwards in a more conciliatory way. Where a couple has drifted apart, they will no longer need to wait two or five years.
“This will make the process more straightforward and in some cases more cost-effective.”
She added that terminology will become more user-friendly, with decree nisi becoming a "conditional divorce order" and a decree absolute a "final divorce order."
