After 10 years together and 2 years married, long hours of work led to the deterioration of Mike’s relationship. Understanding that contacting a family lawyer can take a lot of courage, the Family Law Company helped him to ensure the divorce process was as amicable as it could be.
“We’d reached a point where my wife and I simply couldn’t see a way forward. I was putting in long hours for my business and my wife just had enough.
At first, I was very worried, I was in a panic that I would lose everything – I’d heard some shocking stories. I went to see a solicitor at another firm, but she had no time for my fears and it was not a helpful meeting. I spoke to the Family Law Company who told me to try to calm down, to come straight over to see her. My lawyer was brilliant, honest about the process and how long it would take.
We have two young sons so it was always in my mind to keep things as amicable as possible – it was never just about me, or my wife. I was desperate to keep our home as it’s an ongoing project, a rural home I’d planned especially for the children to enjoy.
So my wife and I decided to sit down and work out what would be best. We wrote our own agreement, there were no arguments – and we’ve stuck to it. I bought my wife out of the house after working out what I could afford to take on as a mortgage, and we came to a figure that she was happy with. Being able to agree this between us definitely saved us some money on legal fees.
What was interesting about the process is that even though we were amicable and didn’t disagree on the finances or the children, the system dragged things out. To be honest, the longer something like this goes on, the harder it is to keep it amicable. I started having a slight fear that she might change her mind, and she started to feel worried that I wouldn’t give her the money for the house. But we had enough trust in each other to get through. When the divorce was finalised, there was a sense of sadness as much as a sense of relief.
The children are with me half the time which is great. They were always the most important part of this for us, and I’m really pleased that we kept them at the heart of our decisions.
Mike’s tips
- Be open with friends and family who will give you support
- If you have children, try to maintain an amicable relationship
What now?
- Work is keeping me busy – and I’m also working on the house to get it finished
- I’m not rushing into another relationship. Instead, I’m taking time to find myself
- I’m really enjoying spending time with my children
Read more of our client stories
Need some advice? Get in touch today
"*" indicates required fields
The information submitted here is used and stored for the purpose of replying to the enquiry. For more information on how we process data please visit our Privacy Policy.
