Divorce Lawyers in Singapore
Whether you have decided or are still working out what to do, it helps to know where you stand. Here is how divorce works in Singapore, what has to be settled, and what it usually costs.
Divorce in Singapore happens in two stages. The first ends the marriage. The second decides everything that follows from it: the arrangements for the children, maintenance, and how the matrimonial assets are divided.
Most people expect the first stage to be the difficult one. In practice it is usually the second, and that is where most of the time and cost goes.
Before you can file
There are threshold requirements about the length of the marriage and your connection to Singapore. They are not formalities, and they are the reason some people find they cannot proceed on the timetable they had assumed.
Check this early. Decisions about housing, money and telling family are often made on the assumption that a divorce can be filed now, and unpicking those decisions is harder than checking would have been.
Uncontested is a different experience, not just a cheaper one
Where you and your spouse agree on the reason for the divorce and on the arrangements afterwards, the matter is uncontested. It is faster and considerably cheaper. It is also markedly less punishing on everyone involved, and that includes children who are more aware of the temperature in the house than they are usually given credit for.
That is worth weighing when deciding whether a particular point is worth fighting over. Sometimes it clearly is. Just as often, what is being fought over turns out to be worth less than the fight costs, in money and in everything else.
What “contested” actually means
It means something is not agreed and the court is asked to decide it. It rarely means everything is in dispute. A matter can be contested on the division of the flat and entirely agreed on the children.
It also does not mean a trial is inevitable. A good many matters that begin contested settle once both sides have had proper advice about what a court would be likely to do, which is frequently less dramatic than either party had been told.
The order things happen in
The urgent things do not wait. Interim maintenance, arrangements for where the children live, and protection where it is needed can all be dealt with while the divorce itself is still running. If something needs sorting now, say so at the first meeting rather than assuming it has to wait its turn.
How we help
How we help
Tell you where you actually stand
Before anything is filed. Whether you meet the threshold to file at all, what is likely to be straightforward, and what your spouse is likely to contest. Most people arrive with a version of the situation that is either more or less alarming than the reality.
Handle an uncontested divorce end to end
Where the arrangements are agreed, this is a fixed-fee piece of work and we deal with the paperwork, the filing and the court steps. You should not need to become an expert in any of it.
Negotiate the settlement
This is where most of the real work happens. Children, maintenance and the division of assets are settled by agreement far more often than by a judge, and a negotiated settlement is faster, cheaper and less damaging than a contested hearing.
Run a contested matter properly
Where agreement is not possible, we prepare the affidavits, the disclosure and the argument, and appear for you. We will also tell you when a point is not worth fighting over.
Deal with the urgent things first
Interim maintenance, arrangements for the children, and protection where it is needed do not wait for the divorce to conclude. They can be dealt with in the meantime.
Keep you informed
You hear from us when something happens, and we tell you if the scope or the likely cost changes before it does, rather than after.
