Family Law Facts & Figures

Bannister Preston Solicitors LLP have been providing friendly, professional family law advice for over 100 years and aim to make the whole process as straightforward as possible.

Rate of Divorce – 42% of all UK marriages end in divorce. Almost 50% of all divorces involved children below the age of 16. In 67% of all divorce cases, it was the first marriage for the couple. The average duration of marriage in divorce cases is 11.5 years.

Family and Shared Finances –  Divorce and the break up of any relationship, family and home is traumatic and stressful. Concerns about finances can soon make the process adversarial and more complex. You should aim to negotiate a divorce settlement that provides for each party and any dependents, with any assets divided fairly.

Domestic Violence –  Being physically hurt by someone you know or share a home with is just as much criminal behaviour as when the violence is perpetrated by a stranger, and it is often more dangerous. Victims of personal abuse can apply for a civil court order that legally prevents the abuser from approaching their home, and from harassing or further harming them.

Children and child arrangements – Child arrangements deal with who a child lives with and the time they spend with each parent.This decision is based on a number of factors and also takes into consideration the feelings of the children involved. Before you can apply for a child arrangements order you must ensure that all avenues of amicable agreement have been exhausted.

Mediation Process – Mediation can sometimes help separating couples resolve issues more constructively and cost-effectively than contested court proceedings. The suitability and timescale of mediation will depend on the circumstances of each case.

Care Proceedings – The council can start ‘care proceedings’ if they’re very worried about a child. At the start of care proceedings, the council asks the family court to make a temporary court order, called an ‘interim care order’. It can take up to a year for a court to decide what should happen to the child. Sometimes it can take even longer than this. Read more about care proceedings here.