header-logo header-logo

Splits on the rise with only one lawyer

09 April 2025
Issue: 8112 / Categories: Legal News , Divorce , Family
printer mail-detail
More separating couples are turning to a one-lawyer approach, according to family practitioners.

The family team at HCR Law says it has experienced an 88% rise in the number of divorcing or separating clients choosing its one-lawyer service in 2024 compared to 2023.

HCR partner Laura Williams said: ‘The traditional route of each spouse instructing their own lawyer can automatically entice hostility.

‘The one-lawyer approach ensures both parties receive clear advice, guidance and support while avoiding the drawn-out battles that often arise when each spouse uses their own solicitor and there is back and forth correspondence dealing with matters which could otherwise be dealt with swiftly.’

While not suitable for all couples, the increase in take-up indicates a growing preference for a less adversarial approach and aligns with the introduction of no-fault divorce in 2022.

Issue: 8112 / Categories: Legal News , Divorce , Family
printer mail-details

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve reports on Haynes v Thomson, the first judicial application of the Supreme Court’s For Women Scotland ruling in a discrimination claim, in this week's NLJ
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
back-to-top-scroll