The newspapers have reported recently that Billie Piper has been granted a ‘quickie’ divorce in 50 seconds. Can you get a quickie divorce or is it just for rich celebrities? Actually the majority of divorces that are granted are quickie divorces.
Whichever factual basis you rely upon to obtain your divorce, as long as it is not contested, the procedure remains the same. There isn’t an option that is quicker than the others. What actually dictates how quick you can get divorced is, firstly, how speedily you and your spouse send the various forms that are needed to the court and, secondly, how efficient the court is in dealing with those forms. Some courts are better than others and choosing the right court can result in savings weeks, and in some cases months.
So what is a quickie divorce then? Many moons ago when you got divorced the court had to hear evidence at a full hearing. Of course that took time, both in relation to having to wait for a slot in the court schedule and the length of the hearing itself. A new ‘Special Procedure’ was introduced meaning that the divorce process, in most cases, became largely a paper exercise without needing to attend court at all. Technically a hearing still takes place but the Judge simply declares that the divorce is granted rather than hearing any evidence. That is the quickie part that takes 50 seconds or so. It really just means that it was uncontested.
If you need a quickie divorce then speak to one of our experienced family law team who can guide you through the process.