What is an invisible divorce?

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An invisible divorce, also known as a silent divorce, occurs when a married couple remains legally married but has effectively ended their emotional and often physical relationship.

With an invisible divorce, spouses continue living together, but act more like house mates rather than a united couple. They spend little time together and engage in their own activities, hobbies, and social circles.

Invisible divorces often maintain the appearance of a marriage from the outside, but in reality the couple are emotionally and psychologically separated and disconnected.

What are the risks of relying on AI legal advice?

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Relying on AI for legal advice poses significant risks and dangers that individuals should be aware of. AI systems can generate inaccurate or false information or advice known as “hallucinations”.

The risk of relying on AI for dealing with a legal matter include:

Legal cases require human judgment, intuition, expertise, and experience to navigate the unique complexities of each case. AI tends to provide generic answers that may not be applicable or relevant to a person’s specific legal situation.

The risk that the legal information provided by AI is false, inaccurate, not up to date or not applicable to English law.

The misinterpretation of legal principles and procedure, and their application to specific cases.

Unlike AI, a human lawyer has a professional and ethical obligation to provide accurate and competent advice specific to an individual case and the facts. 

Quite simply there is no substitute to receiving specific legal advice from a qualified human.

What is quiet quitting a relationship?

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Quiet quitting a relationship is where one or both partners over time mentally checks out from the relationship without officially ending it.

It is called quiet quitting because the couple accepts the bad state of their relationship without conflict, or attempts to improve or fix it.

To outsiders the couple maintain the appearance of a relationship, but in reality, the couple have stopped investing energy and emotion into the relationship.

Can I end my civil partnership without my partners agreement?

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As long as you have been in the civil partnership for at least one year, and you consider your partnership to have irretrievably broken down, you can commence proceedings for dissolution without your civil partner’s agreement.

Your partner can only dispute the dissolution on technical grounds such as lack of jurisdiction, validity or the partnership has already ended.

What happens if I ignore an application for divorce?

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If you decide to ignore a divorce application, the divorce will still proceed, but will take slightly longer.

Once the time limit to respond has expired, a Court bailiff or a Process Server will personally serve you with a further set of divorce papers. Personal service can take place at home, work, or at any other public or private location.

Once a further set of divorce papers have been handed to you personally, the divorce will proceed without your further involvement.

Final order vs Financial order in divorce.

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A Final order and a Financial order in divorce are two completely different legal documents that serve different purposes.

The Final Order is the legal document that officially ends a marriage, and deals with the divorce only.

A Financial order is a legally binding document that specifically deals with the division of assets, pensions, property, and financial obligations between divorcing couples. Once a Financial Order is made it provides protection against future financial claims.

The completion of a divorce by a Final Order does not automatically resolve financial matters between the divorcing parties. This must be handled separately either by reaching a mutual agreement, or a Judge deciding.

Can AI generated evidence be used in family court proceedings?

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While AI generated evidence is not currently explicitly banned in English courts, there are significant concerns and restrictions regarding its use in legal proceedings.

In a 2023 case, it was found that none of the case summaries created using AI and presented to the Court by a litigant in person, were genuine. The court accepted that the litigant in person had made an innocent mistake.

Courts are now approaching AI-generated evidence with extreme caution, requiring thorough verification and explanation.

In Australia there is a ban on AI being used to generate the content of affidavits or witness statements. It is expected this ban will follow in England and Wales.

What is the process for same sex divorce?

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The process for same-sex divorce is the same as for opposite-sex couples. It involves three main stages.

The first stage is to file a divorce application, either individually or jointly with the court. This can be done online or by post.

After the respondent has acknowledged the divorce application, the applicant can move to the second stage by applying for the Conditional Order. This happens roughly 23 to 25 weeks after the start of the divorce.

The third and final stage is six weeks and one day after the pronouncement of the Conditional Order, when it is possible to end the marriage by applying for the Final Order.

It is important to note that while this process ends the marriage, it does not address financial matters.

Strategies to deal with a counter-parent.

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A counter-parent is a parent who deliberately undermines and manipulates the other parent’s parenting style in an attempt to maintain control. They prioritise their own needs over the well-being of their child.

Counter parenting is often carried out by narcissistic individuals who hold hostility following the end of a relationship. A counter-parent can be managed by adopting the following strategies:

Be the emotionally healthy parent. Remain composed and focus on your child’s needs.

Don’t try to “win” against the counter-parent. Keep your distance and avoid being drawn into conflict.

Use parenting apps to limit direct communication, track schedules, and record agreements. This holds the counter-parent accountable, and provides independent proof if you need to go to court.

Adopt parallel parenting rather than co-parenting by establishing clear boundaries and limited contact with the hostile parent.

Document everything by written forms of communication such as emails. Avoid phone calls or in-person meetings where the counter-parent may try to bully and manipulate the situation.

How long can I take my child abroad without the other parent’s consent?

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If the person going on holiday with the child has a court order stating the child lives with them, then that parent can take the child abroad for up to 28 days without the other parent’s consent.

If there are no court orders in place, then the parent wishing to take the child abroad must seek permission from the other parent irrespective of the length of the holiday.

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The Family Law Specialists is the trading name of The Family Law Specialists Limited, a private limited company registered in England & Wales under company number 15318261 with the registered office at, 128 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX. We do not accept service of proceedings. © The Family Law Specialists. All rights reserved.

This website is not intended to offer legal advice so do not act upon any of its content without taking specific advice.

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