How to do your own ‘no-fault’ divorce in 6 steps

 When will the new no-fault divorce become law?

“The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 (DDSA 2020) represents the biggest reform of divorce laws in half a century (25 years after this reform was first attempted with the Family Law Act in 1996) and aims to reduce the impact that conflict and allegations of blame can have on families, and in particular, on any children”

This new divorce law comes into force on the 6th April 2022

This Divorce Act brings divorce law in line with the government’s approach to family justice, avoiding conflict wherever possible and reducing its damaging effects on children in particular.

This ‘principled approach’ is shared and promoted by this Divorce Manual which provides mediation divorce tips for a quicker more cost effective divorce process.

The new divorce law and process removes the requirement to assign blame for the ending of the marriage by encouraging and enabling you and your former partner to make a joint statement that your marriage has irretrievably broken down without having to rely on any evidence of behaviour or anything else for that matter.

No one denies of course how difficult this ‘joint no fault approach’ might feel especially when emotions are running very high and trust is at an all-time low.

I write much more about this in chapter 1 and my blog series- How to manage your divorce emotions.

In chapter 6 of the Divorce Manual I cover everything you need to know to be able to do your own divorce in 6 steps.

Divorce process UK

Chapter 6 is organised into the following sections:

Section 2- The divorce documents

Section 3- Terminology, essential law and rules

Section 4- 8 things you need to know before you start divorce proceedings

Section 5- The 6 Steps divorce process

Section 6- Q&As

First, have a quick look at the list of documents in section 2 to give you a sense of the whole process and task ahead.

Then perhaps caste your eyes over the ‘new divorce language’ in section 3 reinforcing that the law and process of bringing your marriage to an end does not involve apportioning blame.

Your work then begins with section 4 preparing to divorce and the 8 things you need to know before you start divorce proceedings.

Section 5 takes you through my  6 steps divorce process.

If you are doing your divorce online section 5 becomes less important but still provides you with a visual map of the process and timeframes.

Finally, in section 6 the Divorce Manual answers a number of important questions hopefully minimising the need for you to pay for this information or advice.

This said, at any stage if you are not clear about any of the information in this chapter please speak to your mediator first.

If they believe that you need expert advice they will refer you to the most appropriate professional for the support you need, a process the Divorce Manual refers to a ‘mediation teaming’

The aim of the Divorce Manual and your mediator will be to ensure that you are fully informed and feel supported at every step of your Divorce journey.