Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending
of a marriage before the death of either spouse,
which can be contrasted with an annulment which
is a declaration that a marriage is void, though
the effects of marriage may be recognized in such
unions, such as spousal support, child custody
and distribution of property.
A divorce must be certified by a court of law,
as a legal action is needed to dissolve the prior
legal act of marriage. The terms of the divorce
are also determined by the court, though they
may take into account prenuptial agreements, or
simply ratify terms that the spouses have agreed
on privately. Often, however, the spouses disagree
about the terms of the divorce, which can lead
to stressful (and expensive) litigation. A less
adversarial approach to divorce settlements has
also emerged in recent years, known as family
mediation, an attempt to negotiate mutually acceptable
resolution to conflicts.
Solicitors
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