Civil Partnerships 2025

Whether you’re applying alone or jointly, the legal process follows these steps:

1. Initial Consultation
   We’ll take time to understand your circumstances and explain your rights, options and next steps.
2. Filing the Application
   We can apply online on your behalf or should you prefer you can make the application for divorce either jointly with your civil partner or as a sole applicant.
   Start your application on gov.uk
3. Issuing the Application
   The court checks the paperwork and serves it on your partner if the application is made by one party.
4. 20-Week Reflection Period
   This allows both parties time to make important arrangements, especially regarding finances and children.
5. Conditional Order
   After 20 weeks, you can apply for this court confirmation that the dissolution can proceed.
6. Final Order
   Six weeks and one day after the Conditional Order, you can apply to legally end the civil partnership.

Court fee: £612 to file your application. You may be eligible for help with fees — we can advise on this during our consultation.

Conditional Order

This is the court’s acknowledgement that your civil partnership meets the legal grounds for dissolution.

• It does not legally end the civil partnership.
• It’s the stage at which you should aim to formalise any financial agreement and submit it to the court for approval.

Final Order

This is the legal end of the civil partnership.

• You can apply six weeks and one day after the Conditional Order is granted.

Once made, you are no longer in a civil partnership and can enter into either a new civil partnership or marriage if you wish.

It’s critical to secure a financial settlement before the Final Order is granted. Rushing this stage could put your financial security at risk.

Here’s why:

• Risk to financial rights: Dissolving the civil partnership before reaching a financial agreement can affect your entitlement to pensions, maintenance or inheritance.
• Home and estate concerns: If your former partner dies after the Final Order is issued and no financial order exists, you may lose claims to their estate or shared property.
• Long-term claims remain open: Without a legally binding Consent Order or Financial Order, either party could potentially make financial claims years after dissolution — even if you’ve both moved on.

We’ll guide you through the correct timing and ensure your finances are properly resolved before you apply for the Final Order.

Ending your civil partnership doesn’t end your financial responsibilities to each other. A fair financial settlement ensures clarity, security, and peace of mind.

At Josiah-Lake Gardiner, we help with:

• Division of assets, including savings, pensions, property, and businesses
• Ongoing financial support/maintenance (if applicable)
• Clean break agreements to end future claims
• Enforcement or variation of existing financial arrangements
• Protecting interests in high-net-worth and complex cases

Our aim is to help you move forward with a solution tailored to your life and your future.

Wherever possible, we prioritise resolution without the stress, cost and delay of court proceedings. We offer a full range of non-court dispute resolution options:

Non-Court Options Include:

• Mediation – A trained mediator helps you both reach practical agreements
• Collaborative Law – You and your former partner each have a solicitor in open meetings
• Arbitration – A private process where a qualified arbitrator delivers a binding decision
• Negotiation via solicitors – We negotiate directly with the solicitors for your former partner on your behalf
• Private Financial Dispute Resolution (PFDR) – A confidential hearing with a family law expert who gives an informal view on likely court outcomes to help you reach agreement

These routes are flexible, private and often much quicker than the court process.

Should court become necessary, you can rely on our strategic expertise and experienced advocacy at every step.

• Trusted family and civil partnership dissolution experts recognised in The Legal 500
• Tailored legal advice with clearly explained costs estimates at the outset and regular costs reviews
• Solicitors with a track record of dealing with complex and high-value cases
• Strong, compassionate support from start to finish

Q: Is a civil partnership dissolution the same as a divorce?

A: The process is broadly the same, especially following the 2022 reforms.

Q: How long does dissolution take?

A: The minimum time is around 26 weeks from application to Final Order, but it may take longer if financial matters are complex or disputed.

Q: Do we need a financial settlement if we agree everything?

A: Yes. Even amicable agreements need to be formalised in a Consent Order to prevent future claims.

Q: Can we use the same solicitor?

A: No — even where there is a measure of agreement with regard to the dissolution and finances, each of you should have your own representation. However, you may both work with a mediator or engage in collaborative law with separate legal advice.

Q: Can we apply online?

A: Yes — you can submit a dissolution application online via gov.uk. We can assist you with this or manage the application on your behalf.

Whether you’re exploring your options or ready to start, we’re here to help you take the next step — with clarity, certainty and confidence.

Call us on 020 3405 0184
Email [email protected]