Poole Alcock, Cheshire’s leading divorce lawyers, are proud to be supporting Resolution’s awareness raising campaign- Good Divorce Week- which will run from 28 November to 2 December. Resolution is an organisation comprising over 6,500 members who believe in a constructive, non-confrontational approach to family law matters.

To coincide with this campaign Resolution has released a revised version of their Code of Practice. The code promotes a practical approach to family issues and considers the needs of the whole family, in particular the best interests of the children.

As such, here at Poole Alcock, you can expect that we will:

• Listen to you, be honest with you and treat you with respect.
• Explain all the options and give you the confidence to make the right decisions.
• Help you focus on what’s important in the long-term.
• Help you balance financial and emotional costs with what you want to achieve.
• Work with others to find the right approach and the best solutions for you.
• Manage stress in what can be an already stressful situation.

We have family law experts in each of our offices across Cheshire who will work with you determinedly to achieve the best outcome, whilst also being fully committed to these principles.

Lobby Day

In addition, as part of the Good Divorce Week, on Wednesday 30th November Resolution members will be travelling to Westminster to hold a Lobby Day in Parliament. This year members will be campaigning for ‘no fault divorce’ and ‘improving rights for cohabiting couples’. We explain these initiatives further below:

No-fault divorce

Currently, in order to divorce, unless couples have been living apart for two years or more, one of them must apportion some form of blame, that is either by way of adultery or unreasonable behaviour. This can create conflict and ill-feeling between the parties and can make reaching an amicable agreement much more difficult. By removing the ‘blame factor’ from divorce, Resolution believe it will assist parties to resolve their problems and reach an agreement outside of the courts.

Improving rights for cohabiting couples

Cohabitees are the fastest growing family type in the UK and at present these cohabiting couples have little or no legal protection if they separate. Resolution are calling for a legal framework of rights and responsibilities for when unmarried couples who live together split up or one of them dies. This framework would enable the courts to make the same types of orders as they currently do in divorce proceedings, albeit on a different, more limited basis.

What can you do now?

Until these reforms are incorporated, bearing in mind that the ‘no fault divorce’ concept was originally proposed over 10 years ago, you will need a solicitor who is skilled at managing your divorce proceedings in a professional and civilised way. Here at Poole Alcock we will work to encourage parties to put their differences aside and reach fair agreements. By adopting this mind-set we hope to avoid protracted, stressful and often expensive court proceedings, whenever possible. Whilst also ensuring we do everything we can to achieve a satisfactory outcome for you.

If you are not married but you are considering living with your partner or you already live together, you may want to consider drawing up a Cohabitation Agreement. This agreement will set out the intentions of the parties at the outset. This could be in relation to ownership of belongings, financial arrangements or provision for any children of the partnership. In order for any agreement to be legally binding in the event of a split, there are certain criteria which must be complied with. Here at Poole Alcock we can help you avoid complex and often costly legal disputes by advising you fully and drawing up a binding agreement. This will give cohabiting couples peace of mind until the much needed reforms are considered by Parliament.

Call our Freephone number 0800 389 7093 (24/7, 7 days a week) and arrange to meet with an expert Family Law Solicitor for a free, no obligation, initial consultation at one of our offices and discuss your options.