We all know or can imagine that going through a divorce is a difficult process for anybody, but without having gone through it, it is hard to know exactly what you need to do in order to protect yourself, your finances, your assets and your future.
Family partner at MSB Solicitors, Emma Carey, shares some advice.
I’d like to begin with a word to the wise for unmarried couples - there is no such thing as cohabitee rights.
When you marry, you enter into a partnership that is legally binding. That legal partnership can only be brought to an end by death or by an Order of the Court, commonly known as a divorce.
Married couples are protected by a set of laws put in place to ensure that the Court can distribute assets, if the parties can not agree distribution between themselves.
There are no such laws in place for cohabitees. A cohabitee would need to look to representatives in particular areas of the law to help protect their assets - for example, if the asset in dispute is the house, then the cohabitee would need to seek advice in property law.