As experienced divorce lawyers in Guildford we totally understand that the enforced lock down situation has had an impact on many families, not all of it favourable, with many couples now seeking our help.

For some families this has been a wonderful time learning to reconnect with each other, spending quality family time together, sharing the homeschooling, chores etc and living in effect in a little bubble with just your partner and children.

However quite the opposite experience will have been the case for other families who have found the lockdown period a real strain on the relationship, some of which may have already been showing signs of unravelling beforehand.

Being forced into close confinement with people, even though you are in a relationship, can be an incredible strain on you both and increase tensions that may have been bubbling under the surface for years.

Each families experience will have been unique to them and most families will have experienced a degree of both good and bad experiences throughout.

Unfortunately we are now seeing stories materialising from China primarily, but closely followed by European countries, that as couples are emerging from lockdown the number of them seeking divorce advice has risen dramatically and sadly it is to be expected that the UK will follow suit.

It is a sad statistic that the post Christmas break is the busiest time for divorce lawyers, when we receive the majority of  our instructions to commence divorce proceedings.  So it is natural that a post lockdown increase in cases is to be expected.

It can be an extremely challenging time to spend so much time at home with families and it is not usually the rainbows and unicorns picture often portrayed on social media.  Many couples will have taken this time to take a long hard look at their marriage and realise that they are no loner happy together and taken the decison to seek legal advice to commence divorce prceedings.

As expert divorce lawyers Guildford, we understand the complexities of relationships and exactly how big a decision it is to take the step to start legally ending your marriage.  We would urge you to really think about whether a divorce is actually what you want post lockdown, as this has been an extremely strange time, full of stress and uncertainty.  Many families will have had financial concerns, especially if one or other of them has been furloughed and only receiving 80% of their wages - this can place a significant burden on families.  Or you may have been home working and trying to juggle homeschooling and keeping the children motivated and entertained, with all the problems that entails .  All these extra burdens place significant strain on a relationship, whether or not you were already struggling, so we would urge you to not rush into any decisions without giving them due thought and consideration.  However if you have decide that there simply is no way forward with the marriage and you wish to seek us out for expert divorce lawyers Guildford legal advice please feel free to do so.

We have listed below some of our most commonly asked questions, but feeel free to contact us with any others you may have.

Who can get divorced?
Anyone who meets the following criteria can apply to divorce - You will need to have been married for a minimum period of 1 year; be able to prove that your marriage has irretrievably broken down; your marriage must be recognised in the UK and the UK must be either you, or your spouses permanent home.

What are the grounds for a divorce?
In the UK you will need to be able to prove your marriage has irretrievably broken down by petitioning one of the following grounds to end the marriage - adultery; unreasonable behaviour; two years separated (you will need your spouses agreement to use this reason); five years seperated (you will not need your spouses agreement for this reason); or desertion.