In our weekly legal column, the Leader, with the expert advice of the team at GHP Legal, sets out to answer some of your problems. Today's question is answered by partner Nathan Wright...

Will the new no-fault divorce law make it easier to divorce my husband?

Q: I heard that a no-fault divorce law was due to come into force this April.

Will this make it easier for me to divorce my husband? I couldn't face the idea of making up some awful things about him so that I could divorce him without waiting the required separation period, but maybe now I won't need to either wait or make him look bad?

A: No-fault divorce came into force in April 2022. The change in the law is the culmination of years of campaigning and some lawyers are predicting there could be a surge of work from couples who might have put off ending their marriage in the old regime. Certainly, few would disagree that modernising a 50-year-old divorce system and updating marriage laws to reflect the society in which we currently live was long overdue.

Law firms such as GHP Legal who have solicitor members of Resolution 'first for family law', believe this reform which Resolution has campaigned for since its inception in the early 1980s, marks a significant milestone. More importantly, it will make a real difference to those who are sadly facing divorce and who will no longer need to play 'the blame game' that too often introduced or exacerbated conflict that could have been avoided.

Whilst online divorce applications and no longer needing to assign blame to your spouse within the divorce application have made the divorce process easier, it is however vitally important that divorcing couples do not forget to resolve financial matters between themselves and have that agreement ratified by the Court.

Without a Clean Break Order from the court to resolve financial matters at the time of their divorce, people leave themselves exposed to an application in the future for a financial order in respect of their property, savings, pensions and any inheritance they may receive.

It is therefore essential for anyone thinking of applying for a divorce to still obtain legal advice.

• This question has been answered by Nathan Wright, a Partner with GHP Legal.  If you would like to speak to someone about this or any other legal matter it is still possible, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that we continue to offer our high levels of service to our clients. Where possible, we ask that you communicate with us by phone or email. If you have a new enquiry or for an appointment visit www.ghplegal.com or contact one of our offices: Wrexham 01978 291456, Llangollen 01978 860313, Oswestry 01691 659194.