Many Leicester homes are owned by more than the two people whose marriage is ending. A house in Belgrave or Rushey Mead held in the names of a couple and his parents, a Highfields terrace bought with a brother, a shop with flats above it owned through the family company: when a marriage breaks down in Leicester, working out what is actually matrimonial property is often the first job, and it needs a divorce solicitor who has untangled such arrangements before.
The divorce itself is now straightforward. Since April 2022 there is no need to allege adultery or unreasonable behaviour, the application is made online, jointly or alone, and the conditional order cannot be granted until 20 weeks have passed. Everything that matters is in the financial order and the arrangements for children. Pensions from the University Hospitals of Leicester, the councils and the universities are frequently worth more than the house. A family business, whether a textile firm, a wholesale warehouse or a restaurant on the Golden Mile, needs an accountant's valuation and, often, a creative settlement that lets it keep trading. Property in Gujarat, Punjab, Kenya or Poland has to be disclosed and may need a lawyer there.
Where couples can agree, a consent order gives the deal the force of a court order without anyone attending; the family court at Wellington Street only hears the cases that cannot be settled. Mediation is expected first and is often cheaper than either side fears. A religious divorce, such as a get or a talaq, is separate from the civil one and does not replace it.
Fees are usually fixed for the divorce application, hourly or staged for the finances, with legal aid confined to cases with evidence of domestic abuse.
Divorce solicitors serving Leicester are listed below, verified firms first. Read about the divorce process, the cost of divorce and divorce solicitors generally; for children and cohabitation see family law solicitors in Leicester, and because divorce changes how a will works, will solicitors in Leicester may be the next call.
