divorce 101 in the UK

[worder]

could somebody tell me how long you have to be separated before getting a divorce in the UK? it usually is a year in the US. do you get a separation agreement at the time with your's and your spouse's assets signed by a judge? do you have equitable distribution instead of equal distribution? in the US, half of all marriages end up in the divorce; what is the rate in the UK? is there a site where I can read about the ABC's of divorce in your country? thanks in advance, worder

[FredPuli]

Divorce is granted only on the ground that 'the marriage has irretrievably broken down' ,. This means, for separation, 2 years where the parties agree to divorce or two years desertion or five years where the parties are separated but one does not consent. Adultery or unreasonable behaviour are the other bases; then there's no wait, apart from the minimum one year of marriage; usually one party commits adultery long before two years so the divorce proceeds on that basis ( there is no strict need to name the other man/woman involved). The assets: the whole of the property of the couple, whoever owns it and whenever acquired, before or after marriage. and whether jointly or not is under consideration by the court. This sounds frightening but it is to give the court the widest powers so as to act equitably between the parties There is nothing as crude as an automatic fifty- fifty split and no pre-nuptial agreement is valid ( nor post -nuptial if the court dislikes it; the court has total control over vtitle and distribution) The subject of 'ancillary relief', the legal term for this, is far too complicated to set out here.. See www.rightsofwomen.org.uk/pdfs/divorce.pdf ( I found this in html through Google). If there are children no divorce will happen until the judge is satisfied over their arrangements.. The best book is 'The Which?Guide to Divorce' from www.which.net or bookshops inc Amazon.co.uk It explains it all. About 28% of couples 25 to 34 divorce; the top section. I've no other ststs.