Civil Partnerships

In order to dissolve a civil partnership, you must have been in your registered civil partnership for over a year. At this point you can file an application to the court similar to that of a divorce. You would then obtain a conditional order, before applying for and obtaining the final order which dissolves the civil partnership.

The whole process takes a minimum of 26 weeks and there should be no requirement for either party to have to attend court except in exceptional circumstances. In the same way as married couples, it is very possible that either civil partner could be entitled to financial support from the other depending on incomes and standard of living during the partnership.

The division of assets is also dealt with in a very similar fashion as the Court would look to ensure the housing needs of both parties are adequately met as a priority. Similar to divorce, mediation is encouraged for discussions around the division of the assets of the partnership. The emphasis of the current Family Law system is to try and assist couples in dealing with the breakdown of their marriage without the Court having to be involved.

When entering into a civil partnership, it is advised to consider a pre-registration agreement to protect your financial assets in the event of a breakdown of the partnership. This would be treated the same way as a pre-nuptial agreement and our experienced team will be able to advise you on the best form of agreement for you.

Contact us for an initial meeting with one of our team to help you understand the process and advise on the potential avenues and strategies available to you as well as for us to be able to ascertain the level of assistance you will need and any costs associated with it.