If you have a connection to the UK and would like your divorce or civil partnership dissolution handled in London, our team of family law experts are here to help.

We can take steps to increase the likelihood of the courts in London agreeing to handle your case, including ensuring that proceedings are issued here before anywhere else. This is an important consideration because:

• it will usually be the courts in the country where proceedings are issued first that will be entitled to deal with the case; and
• the court that receives the paperwork first will be a relevant (albeit not determinative) factor in deciding where the proceedings should take place.

Accordingly, time can be of the essence so in these circumstances we recommend that you take advice as quickly as possible in order to ensure that you have the widest choice of options open to you.

If, after your separation, you or your former spouse or civil partner decide to relocate outside of England and Wales, we can help you negotiate practical arrangements for your children which ensure their best interests come first while still allowing both of you to see them regularly and spend quality time together.  If there is a risk that your former spouse or partner may try to take your children and leave the country without your permission, we can also help take protective action to stop this happening.

Where you have money or property abroad, we can help you to figure out where everything is, how much it is worth and what needs to be done to ensure you and your children receive a fair share in a financial settlement. We can also help if you think your former spouse or partner may have hidden money or property abroad to stop you accessing it.

If you are already divorced or have had your civil partnership dissolved, and your case was determined in another country, we may be able to help you enforce the terms of any foreign court order that relates to money or property held in England and Wales. In some circumstances, we may also be able help you challenge the amount of financial provision made for you by a foreign court where this is demonstrably unfair or inadequate.

Miles & Partners are leading family mediation solicitors in London and can provide a neutral environment in which you can negotiate amicable agreements face-to-face about arrangements for your children, property and finances without going to court.

We will consider all options to fund the costs of your case, including legal aid where available.

If you are part of an international family and are thinking of getting divorced, dissolving your civil partnership or simply separating, please contact one of our specialist family law practitioners for advice on how we can help. We are waiting to take your call.