Speak to your solicitor

If you have serious doubts about going ahead, the very first thing to do is to speak to your solicitor. They can offer advice on what to do next and take action on your behalf.

The good news is that divorce proceedings can be stopped at any time until the decree absolute has been issued. This is the legal document that officially ends your marriage. The decree absolute can only be applied for at a certain time, just over six weeks after you’ve received the decree nisi – this is the court order stating that a marriage will be ended unless a good reason can be found not to grant a divorce.

Are you the petitioner?

If you are the petitioner, the person who has applied for and who is pursuing the divorce, stopping the proceedings from your side is relatively simple. If you have received your decree nisi, all you have to do is not apply for the decree absolute. At the same time, you or your solicitor should contact the court to let them know that you are withdrawing from proceedings.

Once the decree absolute has been issued, there is no going back. You and your partner will be legally separated. If you have already applied for the decree absolute then time is short, so make sure you speak to your solicitor as a matter of urgency if you’ve decided not to go through with the divorce. They can then take immediate steps to prevent the decree absolute being issued.

If you later change your mind and decide that you do want to get divorced, you may need to start proceedings again from the very beginning. Again, this is something your solicitor can offer advice on.

Contesting the divorce

If your spouse is the petitioner and does want to get a divorce, but you don’t, you will need to take a different course of action. In this case, you will need to contest the divorce. This can lead to expensive legal bills as it takes much longer, can involve mediation and court hearings, and you may still end up divorced if a court rules that your spouse has grounds for divorce.

If you have any questions at all about the divorce process, including what to do if you change your mind, get in touch with Liverpool divorce lawyers Tracey Miller Family Law for expert advice you can trust.