Can I have a quickie divorce like Madonna and Guy Richie?

Jo Spain, family law solicitor

There is no such thing as a “quickie” divorce! This is a complete myth perpetrated by the media and trotted out whenever someone famous is going through divorce proceedings. It seems to suggest that somehow if you are in the public eye you have access to speedier service from the Divorce Courts than is the reality.

My article last month dealt with the usual length of time for a divorce (3-6 months). This is the case for all parties to a divorce whether they are well-known or not.

I believe that the media are referring to the actual pronouncement of the Decree Nisi which is the first decree. To pronounce the Decree Nisi the Judge has to be certain that the parties are entitled to a divorce and will then direct that a “Certificate of Entitlement” be sent to the parties which will confirm that the petitioner is entitled to a Decree Nisi and will list a day for pronouncement. The parties are not required to attend on that date and the Judge will simply pronounce the Decree. This is done in Chambers and may well take seconds rather than minutes. This is not however the end of the divorce and the parties are not divorced until Decree Absolute which can't be applied for until another 6 weeks and one day has elapsed!

Thanks to John Bolch for reminding me I needed to write about this subject.