It has been reported that the marriage of celebrity couple Louise and Jamie Redknapp has broken down, and that Louise is seeking a ‘quickie’ divorce. We do not know if it is true that she wants a divorce, but we do know that there is no such thing as a ‘quickie’ divorce.
The term ‘quickie divorce’ appears regularly in the popular media, but it is a myth. It suggests that there is a separate, faster, procedure that some couples can use to get divorced. In fact, there is only one divorce procedure, and it applies to everyone, including celebrities.
The time that a divorce takes to go through depends upon a number of factors, in particular whether the other party decides to defend it. Defended divorces are likely to take much longer than undefended divorces, particularly if they go all the way to a contested hearing.
Another factor affecting the length of a divorce is whether or not there are contested financial matters involved – in most cases the divorce will not be finalised until those matters have been dealt with.
These factors can have an enormous bearing on how long a divorce takes. Whereas an undefended divorce with no contested financial matters can be completed within a few months, a contested divorce, or a divorce with contested financial matters, can even take several years.
In short, if you want a quick divorce, try to agree all matters beforehand.
Familylawcafe.co.uk has been set up to provide intelligent process through the maze of family law and to make matters move at a speed and in the way that is right for you, helping give you control of the process.
Image: Louise Redknapp at the BAFTA’s, by Damien Everett, licensed under CC BY 2.0.