Civil partnerships are legal unions available to opposite-sex and same-sex couples in the UK.
Not everyone likes the religious or traditional aspects of a marriage, and a civil partnership offers an alternative that has many of the same rights and responsibilities but sits outside the institution of marriage. Our Civil Partnership Solicitors in Reading and Henley-on-Thames advise on all of the legal issues relating to civil partnerships, including:
Our civil partnership solicitors can advise you on all aspects of civil partnerships, from pre-civil agreements to the dissolution process. For a confidential discussion, please contact Richard Rodway in our Henley-on-Thames office or Julia Drury in our Reading office, both of whom will be happy to have a conversation with you about how we can support you.
Civil partnerships award essentially the same rights to couples as marriage, but there are a few notable differences between civil partnerships and marriage including:
Both. Civil partnerships can be entered into by any couple, including same-sex or opposite-sex couples, who are looking for legal union that offers legal and financial protections similar to those of marriage.
The dissolution of a civil partnership is similar to when a married couple divorces, and it legally ends the relationship – the main difference is the terminology.
It is no longer a legal requirement to give a reason for the breakdown of your civil partnership or to assign blame to the other party. All that is now required is a statement confirming that the partnership has irretrievably broken down.
Like a marriage, couples in a civil partnership have to wait a year before they can submit an application to dissolve it. If a couple do not want to end the civil partnership, or the 12-month period is not yet up, they can get a legal separation.
Our civil partnership solicitors will listen to your needs and guide you through the process to achieve the best outcome for you, no matter how complex.
To dissolve a civil partnership, there needs to be an application made to the family court – it can be a sole application or made jointly.
If the application is by a sole Applicant, the court sends the application to the other partner (called the Respondent) with a request to complete an Acknowledgement of Service form to confirm that they will not be disputing the dissolution of the civil partnership.
The respondent can only dispute the dissolution on limited grounds, such as jurisdiction or the fact that the civil partnership was not legally valid. For example, the civil partnership ceremony was conducted in a country where civil partnerships are not legal.
If the dissolution is agreed upon and the court is satisfied that all the correct documentation has been completed and filed, a Conditional Order is made. There is a minimum 20-week waiting period between the Dissolution Application being sent to the Court and the Conditional Order being pronounced. Once the Conditional Order is made, there is a further six weeks and 1 day wait before you can apply for the Final Order ending the civil partnership.
A dissolution application takes around six months from the date of the Dissolution Application until a civil partnership is dissolved, as the law requires set gaps of 20 weeks and 6 weeks delay respectively during the proceedings to allow time for reflection, which cannot be shortened unless there are very exceptional circumstances.
Although it takes around eight months to dissolve a civil partnership, it is possible to agree on the arrangements for any children and a financial settlement before that six-month period ends.
Our team of civil partnership solicitors can provide legal advice on ensuring any agreements over finances or parenting plans are fair and reasonable, and that short and long-term interests are protected.
Any financial agreement will need to be converted into a binding financial Consent Order during the dissolution proceedings.
There are a number of set fees for orders during a civil partnership dissolution, the main ones being:
Assistance from a solicitor during the dissolution process is usually recommended during negotiations over children and finances to ensure that fair and binding arrangements are put in place, and they will be able to provide an estimate of their legal fees.
The cost of our ongoing legal fees will vary depending on a number of variables. Our Divorce and Family Law solicitors each have individual hourly rates which vary depending on their expertise and experience, which we will provide in a quotation before you instruct us.
Each person’s individual circumstances will dictate how much work their solicitor has to do to help them reach a fair and binding arrangement. For example, a simple dissolution, where both parties agree, will require less time from a solicitor than one where matters are contentious and involve complex financial settlements, child arrangements, or court proceedings.
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