Award Winning Edinburgh Divorce Lawyers

Looking for divorce advice in Edinburgh? Whether you are recently separated and looking for advice on divorce, child contact (often referred to as access or custody) or whether you separated some time ago and need help with finalising the financial aspects of your divorce then our award winning family law team at Gilson Gray are ideally placed to help you.

We are an award winning family law team recognized as leaders in the field of family law.
Our team includes accredited as specialists in the field of family law.
Three dual qualified lawyers can advise on Scottish and English divorce.
With qualified mediators and collaborative lawyers in our team we can offer alternative solutions to expensive and stressful court action.

Divorce
Frequently Asked Questions

Most clients who come to us for help with regards to a divorce have not been divorced before. Understandably therefore they have lots of questions, especially at the outset. In this section we try and answer the most common questions that we come across but don’t worry if your questions isn’t on this list just get in touch with us and we would be happy to help.

How quickly can I get divorced in Scotland?

That very much depends on how much you have agreed on with your spouse and whether you have children under the age of 16. If you have resolved all financial matters and you don’t have any children under the age of 16 then you would be able to apply for a Simplified Divorce. With a Simplified Divorce the procedure is much simpler, quicker and the least expensive of all options to obtain your divorce. Unless one or other of you lives outside Scotland then from start to finish a Simplified Divorce action usually takes no more than 12 weeks.

What are the grounds for divorce?

There is only one ground for divorce and that is that the marriage has broken down irretrievably. This can be established using one of the following:
- You’ve been separated for one year and your spouse consents to the divorce.
- You’ve been separated for two years in which case you do not need your spouse’s consent.
- Your spouse has committed adultery.
- Your spouse has behaved so unreasonably that it cannot be expected for you to remain living with them.

How much does a divorce cost?

The cost of divorce can vary quite dramatically. This is also an area where our qualified mediator and collaborative lawyers can help as our clients often find that mediation or collaborative process is a much cheaper way of being able to divorce. If you are in a situation where you cannot agree the arrangements for your children and/ or a financial settlement then your fees can be tens of thousands of pounds. In some circumstances, where you have an agreement, we can offer work on a fixed fee basis. Please contact us for further details.

I live in Scotland and my spouse lives in England can we still divorce in Scotland?

The answer is ‘probably yes’ but this can be a complicated area and one which we have found many solicitors do not fully understand. We are fortunate in that three of our accredited family law specialists are also qualified in English family law and are recognized as being specialists in this area. For more information please contact us.

I am not happy with the solicitor I have- can I move?

Yes you can transfer your case to another solicitor at any point. We will also not charge you for the first hour of our time in familiarising ourselves with your files which we will need to obtain from your previous solicitors.

Anonymous
Family Law

“I am tremendously grateful to you for all that you have done to get me to this point – both over the long period during which the Agreement was negotiated and at various difficult moments since then. It is a huge relief to finally have this resolved, and your perspective and expertise have been absolutely indispensable.”

Pauline
Family Law

“I wanted to thank you for encouraging a tasteful and diplomatic separation. It’s made a huge difference to an already difficult time.”

Lynn
Family Law

“I just wanted to thank you for all that you have done to support Andrew and ourselves. Finally, we have the right outcome and the boys will have a more secure long term future.”

Neil Walls
Family Law & Residential Conveyancing

“Gilson helped me understand the best way of getting these three pieces of work done. Very approachable and friendly staff and was very flexible and understanding of my needs as a client. Were very patient with me when I was struggling to understand the legal jargon. Would confidently use Gilson Gray’s services again.”

Anonymous
Family Law

“I have always found Denise Laverty to be an exceptional lawyer… on the basis of her professional legal excellence.”

Family Law Testimonial

Firstly I want to say a heartfelt thank you for your support over the last few weeks. I’m aware that your first duty is to the court, but I could not have done what I needed to do recently without your calm and authoritative counsel. You gave me the freedom to make my own decisions. I’m also aware that you and your team worked extremely hard to prepare me for court at very short notice.

Family Law Testimonial

Denise has consistently provided well balanced expert advice, throughout a long drawn out divorce and custody case. Denise’s in depth knowledge and experience of both Scottish and English Divorce law, has guided me through a very difficult period in my life. Her reasoned approach, often tempering my naturally emotional reaction to events, was always well timed and well placed, hindsight proving her judgement correct on all occasions.