Divorce Solicitors Bideford

If you are experiencing the trauma of separation or the breakdown of your marriage, we fully understand that it will be an emotional and stressful time. There are key decisions to be made affecting your financial future, your home and if children are involved, ensuring their best interests are always at the forefront of everyone’s minds. If you are looking for a divorce solicitor in Bideford then we are here to help you overcome the challenges and get your life back on track.

Your Specialist Divorce Solicitors
You need to be certain that you are receiving the very best advice from experienced divorce solicitors who understand your circumstances. At Slee Blackwell, our divorce solicitors in Bideford are dedicated to helping support you through the divorce process.

Each member of our team specialises in specific areas of divorce law, including personal and business finance, trusts and the law relating to children. This ensures that we provide our clients with specialist advice at every step of the process.

Our approach as your divorce solicitor
We are committed to providing our clients with clear and cost-effective advice from the outset and will always strive to achieve the best possible solutions for you and your family. Whatever your circumstances, our specialist lawyers will guide you through the divorce process with care and understanding. We will work to achieve non-confrontational solutions so that you will always feel fully supported, avoiding the stress and cost of formal court proceedings which we feel should be a last resort, rather than a first step.

Awards and Accreditation for our divorce solicitors
Slee Blackwell were proud to be winners at this year’s NSPCC Childhood Champion Awards 2018.

We are members of Resolution, a nationally respected body of specialist family lawyers who are committed to finding swift and cost effective solutions to family law disputes. Our divorce solicitors are also accredited with The Law Society in finance and children work.

If you would like to discuss your current circumstances, we offer a free family law helpline. You can contact one of our divorce solicitors in Bideford for a free assessment by calling 0333 888 0404.

Areas of Specialism:

If you or your spouse have a business in joint or sole names, these will be relevant for financial settlement. Businesses can provide income and hold capital and so need to be valued and included in financial disclosure. In some cases we liaise with forensic accounts, surveyors, land agents, agricultural lending specialists and valuers may be needed to establish a clear picture of the value of the businesses and what it can generate in income, capital and borrowing.
Divorce and separation can be particularly stressful and emotional when children are involved. If you cannot reach agreement with the other parent as to how your children should spend their time between you, then mediation is available to resolve the issues. Where this is not successful then the courts may have to be involved and we can assist you with court hearings, preparing statements and putting your case forward.
There is no such thing as “common law” husband or wife. The law does not offer the same protection to unmarried couples who are cohabiting, as it does to those who are married. If you are looking to move in with you partner and want to set out clearly how your individual assets, joint money or property should be treated then we can assist you in drafting a Cohabitation Agreement. While these agreements are not legally binding, they can be used as evidence of your joint intentions in relation to money and property should you separate. We can also advise you on any legal claim you might have in Trust law against a property that was in your partner’s sole name which you feel you should have a share of.
When you’re going through a divorce, trust interests must be disclosed, so that any resulting assets and resources can be taken into account. With there being a variety of types of trust, there’s scope to argue exactly what a person’s beneficial interest in a trust is, particularly when the provision is at the discretion of the trustees. There are a variety of types of trust, often with significant scope for argument as to the value of a person’s beneficial interest in a trust.
If parents cannot agree the level of financial child support then the decision is made by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS). It is vitally important that you understand your financial responsibilities to your child or children as the CMS have substantial enforcement powers. You cannot contract out of the CMS and the court has no power to prevent the CMS making and enforcing any financial child support assessment now or in the future until the child becomes 18 or ceases full time education. An understanding of your CMS liability should be the cornerstone of any financial negotiation with your spouse or ex-spouse.
The Matrimonial Causes Act sets out the financial factors the court will take into account when a married couple divorce. We will assist you in collecting together the information and documents that will be needed for the financial disclosure process and advise on your options for achieving the best outcome. Every divorce should be concluded with a Financial Remedy Order. This can be obtained by consent or as a result of a contested court application. We can provide you with tailored advice to fit your particular requirements.
Inherited Wealth and Pre-marital assets
There are various court orders available if you feel at risk of harm from your ex-partner. An Occupation Order can for instance be used to exclude someone from a jointly owned property. Or if you are at risk of harassment, harm, violence or threatened by an ex-partner, you may be entitled to protection from an Injunction to prevent the ex-partner approaching you or coming to your home. Such orders will not be made lightly by the Court so specialist legal advice is required. We can prepare your court application and supporting statements, and represent you at court hearings.
Unlike financial child support the court retains the power to adjudicate on whether a Spousal Maintenance Order should or should not be made as well as the level and duration of any Order, whether to cover the short term or long term income needs of an ex-spouse. A reasonable disparity of income and earning potential is a key factor in these type of Orders which are periodical in nature and are therefore capable of upward or downward variation.
We are experienced in dealing with the complexities of the various pensions products that couples commonly have (occupational, defined benefit and defined dontribution) and the different income and benefits each pension will produce. We look at both the value of the pension as it stands at the time of your separation, as well as what it might produce by way of income in retirement. Pensions are complex arrangements which need specialist advice and we can liaise with financial experts such as actuaries to ensure you get a fair deal.

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