Is Divorce Day really a thing? Six divorce lawyers respond three days later

Ditch the degree: 41% of graduates say start a business instead. But do business owners agree?

Former England and Liverpool defender Mark Wright joins divorce lawyer firm

Former Liverpool and British star Mark Wright join the divorce company Fair Results - London News Time

Divorce firm looks to shake up field with fixed fee for whole process - Legal Futures

Former England Footballer Enters Law | Law.com International

Former Liverpool and England star joins board of divorce firm

People: Fair Result; ThinCats | TheBusinessDesk.com

Chris is a qualified lawyer with over 20 years in practice in a variety of fields. He was also a Police Officer in a former career.

Within the law, he is renowned for his pragmatic approach to dealing with cases, hence the decision to challenge convention and establish Fair-Results in 2021.

He prefers to ‘pick up the phone’ rather than endless emails and letters and uses these skills to efficiently to the crux of the problem and find the optimal solution for all parties.

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Chris Sweetman

When we say that January is THE Divorce month of the year, we aren’t exaggerating.&nbsp; Over recent years, January has unofficially become synonymous with divorce. ‘Divorce Day’ falls on the first Monday of the year, with Tuesday 4th January 2022 being the next. Divorce related search queries on Google saw more than a 25% increase from December 2020 to January 2021. But it isn’t a new thing; divorce search terms skyrocket every January, increasing year on year. Fair Result’s experts explain why this trend may happen. Christmas is out of the way. The festive period is seen as the most magical time of year, but not for everyone. People who are already thinking about divorce or noticing that their marriage isn’t what they would like it to be, tend to get a harsh reminder of that during the holidays. Christmas, New Year’s, and other holidays (such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa) come with large expectations and managing the stress of the festive period means divorcees can wait for many. Strained couples tend to stay together over Christmas time, to ensure family, mainly the children, get a ‘normal’, loving holiday season before separating. Other factors tend to include having to buy numerous presents, visiting extended family, or even travel costs if they’ve planned to go abroad. Taking all of it into account, you can understand how stressful the holiday season can get, before even taking divorce into consideration. The festive rose-tinted glasses have come off As many of us do, strained couples also tend to feel the festive joy and become more motivated to make their marriage work around the Christmas period. Come January, the reality of the situation begins to set in, once again. An experiment conducted by a danish researcher Brand Haddock found that after showing two groups of people (one group celebrates Christmas, the other don’t) imagery of holiday themes, while they underwent a brain scan. The results reveal that the front of the brain lit up for those who celebrate Christmas as they were shown holiday-themed pictures. Another research, by psychoanalyst Steve McKeown, shows that Christmas decorations and other holiday-related things tend to have strong associations with childhood and are more likely to bring up feelings of nostalgia. Either to remember younger years or try to compensate for the past. Nostalgia combined with the magic of Christmas – what could go wrong? That’s one of the reasons why people tend to try fixing their marriage during the holidays, or just blindly stay together and hope for the best. Unfortunately, January is just around the corner and with it, you’ve to welcome back the ‘real-life’. The Holidays can propel Divorce thoughts On the flip side, the stress of the Festive Season can actually cause relationship breakdowns. “The holidays often create unrealistic standards about what the holidays should ‘be like,’ and that can amplify feelings of anxiety and depression” – Dr. Rutledge said. Add some social media to the mix and you might start believing that everyone else is living perfect lives with perfect relationships. Relate’s (UK’s biggest relationship charity) CEO, Aidan Jones said: “The emotional and financial pressures of Christmas and the holidays can push couples to breaking point. On average Relate receives a 13% rise in calls and a 58% rise in website users each January.” Considering the financial strain of the holidays, meeting extended family, even romanticizing Christmas can lead to a disaster. It’s rarely ever one of these things, most likely it’s a combination of various factors, but the disagreements don’t become any less real because of that. This makes tensions rise and thoughts of divorce come to the forefront. New Year’s Resolutions – New Year, New Me The festive period is a time for reflection and the trend of New Year’s resolutions plays quite a factor in divorce. Many people tend to change things up in their life after the new year begins, and for some, this includes the end of an unhealthy marriage. The pressure of a New Year’s resolution may give those who have been considering divorce the push they need. The end of the Tax Year is looming Married couples who want a divorce, want it done and dusted as soon as possible. Even though it usually takes from four to six months to get divorced, the worst-case scenario – it can take years. When divorcing, either partner can transfer assets to the other with no exposure to tax, as long as it’s done before the end of the tax year. After the tax year, such transfers result in the application of capital gains tax (CGT) on any notional (estimated) gain made by the transferor. With only 3 months until the end of the tax year (5th April), many people looking for a divorce in January decide now is the time to start the ball rolling. So, is it true that January is the divorce month? Yes and No. Let us explain… January is definitely the month of divorce, but in a different way than one would assume. What’s more likely to happen is that people were already thinking about getting divorced for months, but January tends to be that breaking point of starting to strive for a new better you. Although much to disappointment, most divorces don’t happen for a while after January. Figuring out how to approach the proceedings, the legal jumbo, and various personal reasons take into effect first. One could say that the real divorce month is March, simply because the legal part of separation tends to start then. Nonetheless, January is most definitely upholding the title of The Month for Divorce Decision Making. Taking the first steps this new year As we’ve learnt today, January is the ‘divorce decision’ month. Which means that for a lot of you, this is that last push to make a very hard decision. We at Fair Result know what divorce feels like first-hand and we want to be there for you if and when you make that decision. With spiralling costs and damaged relationships, our aim is to make the divorce process as stress-free and straightforward as possible. We understand the struggles and the emotional stress that comes with divorce. We have designed a unique approach, that will generate a fair result for you. If you’re thinking about divorce start your New You for 2022 – #NY2022. &nbsp;<blockquote>Personal relationships have seem an intense amount of pressure of the last couple of years that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. More people spending time together in the same household more than they may have done previously, increasing pressure, strain and expectations on couples. Let's see what Divorce Day 2022 has in store!</blockquote>

Divorce Day 2022 - What and when is it? 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE &nbsp;<h4>Divorce ‘Disrupters’ add England Footballer and FA Cup Winner to Board of Directors. &nbsp;</h4><figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/newspage.com-staging/company/427/images/cba00fcaabfd20097d7100c951d95302517dff399c5519b346a4381e4c4b1505b52d1e92d5c8c0e38bee2a08f4c531017882149cdaf5480a051400a92f2d81ef.jpeg"><figcaption>Mark Wright, l, r, Chris Sweetman</figcaption></figure>Leicestershire-based divorce lawyer, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://fair-result.co.uk">Fair Result</a>, the first company to offer a fixed fee model covering the whole divorce process from start to finish, is delighted to announce that former England footballer and FA Cup winner, Mark Wright, has joined its Board of Directors.Mark joins Fair Result with a focus on driving forward fair and equitable divorce solutions for professional athletes, where the divorce rate remains disturbingly high.Having experienced a long and drawn-out divorce process himself, which cost thousands in lawyers’ fees, Mark will play an active role within the company, focusing on his network to support business development, particularly among current and former athletes. Of his new role, he says:<blockquote>“I wish I'd met Fair Result years ago when I went through my own divorce. Their no-nonsense approach to evaluating what’s available, and immediately negotiating a fair split of all the family assets, should be the template for how things are done moving forward.”</blockquote>Chris Sweetman, Fair Result director and co-founder, added:<blockquote>“We are delighted to welcome Mark to the board, and look forward to benefiting from his support and influence as we seek to change the face of the divorce industry. He has his own personal experience of divorce and is especially passionate about ensuring children are protected in family break-up situations. He also approves of our system of negotiating a fair and equal division of a family's assets as quickly as possible for one fixed fee, quoted at the outset."</blockquote>Mark played for England 45 times in a career spanning more than 12 years. He had a successful club career at Southampton, Derby and, more famously, Liverpool — winning the FA Cup in 1992.Since retiring from football, Mark has spent many years as a foster care advocate since fostering a three-year-old girl in 2008. He is an ambassador of &nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thefca.co.uk">Foster Care Associates UK</a>, raising awareness nationally and internationally of the need for fostering and adoption.Mark is passionate about the need for stability in children’s lives when relationships sadly break down. He is acutely aware of the financial strain protracted and expensive divorce proceedings put on families — and above all the impact this can have on children. Mark adds:<blockquote>“I wish I had been quoted a fixed price right at the start in the way that Fair Result do. It would have made for a much more painless, and less expensive, divorce."</blockquote>Fair Result was established during the pandemic to accommodate a spike in divorce enquiries, as couples sought to go their separate ways after spending too much time together. The disruptive model introduced by Fair Result sees its clients benefit from a fixed fee that covers all stages of the divorce, from filing with the court to valuing all the assets and negotiating a fair final consent order.

Former England footballer Mark Wright Transfers To Fair Result

No Fault Divorce Will It Really Change the Divorce Landscape? The Divorce Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 has been passed by Parliament. The new no fault divorce regime is due to be implemented and take effect in Autumn 2021, but will it really change the landscape of divorce and separation. In the view of Fair Result probably not. Whilst the aims of the bill are manifestly on the right lines. Taking blame away as a reason for divorce has got to be a step in the right direction. The divorcing couple know between them why the marriage has broken down. There have probably been many arguments about it before the couple even decide its time to separate. So, it does not need washing in public any further.&nbsp; On this we are all agreed and the cooling off period between application to conditional offer have merits to allow couples to reflect and consider their positions. Then the extra six weeks between the granting of the conditional order to the making of the Final order have real benefits for the couples involved. In truth at this point they will certainly know their true feelings for each other and if they do want to separate fully. All this has real benefits, and this six-month period should be used wisely by everyone involved in the process.&nbsp; If not and divorces are not routinely concluded in 6 months what is the point of calling them no fault divorces. If the battle is still going on resolving financial settlements and arrangements for the children it does not matter who is to blame you are still in a battle. This is where Fair Result believe the true landscape of divorce will not change and its not the fault of the legislation or the hopes of Parliament who created it – it will be the lawyers who just simply wont work at the pace to get everything resolved in the same timescale. It has long been the view of the founders of Fair Result a lot of the polarisation often seen in divorcing couples is driven by their respective lawyers. Very often we speak to people who tell us they want to get rid of their lawyer but cannot because they have invested too much money with them but are still a million miles away from settling their divorce while lawyers send endless letters and emails to each other often about things that have no meaning to the real issues in hand. Will these lawyers have any real incentives to conclude matters in 6 months? No because it will shorten their billing time for each case, reduce the time they can continually ask for payments on account and decide some area needs further investigation. We see already the plethora of blog, tweets and Instagram posts all saying no fault divorce is coming but you will still need “our” services to help you through the process. Really? There is another way, but it needs a real change in the way divorces are dealt with. Let us use the no fault divorce to really benefit separating couples all round and change the divorce landscape for ever. Our model is amazingly simple and in time it will be the accepted norm. When we are engaged, we actively assess the full value of what is available for distribution between the couple and their children. We then asses what is fair for each party in line with the courts view that a 50/50 split is the norm and quickly assess how this can be achieved for both parties. This is then communicated to the former partner or their lawyer if they have one and we plan for round the table discussion within a truly short period of time. By working quickly to assess what is available means our model and methods can easily resolve the whole of the divorce within the 6 months envisaged by the Divorce and Separation Act 2020. Let us just hope this is the case and a chance to really modernise the whole system is not lost by an old system just grinding on as it did before but without the title tattle of who did what being an interesting side-line to what is enormously important to divorcing couples – making sure the children and cared for and splitting the assets fairly and quickly so everyone can move on. Telling you our fees right and the start – what you can expect for those fees and when they will become payable is the way we operate – no upfront costs, no hidden extras, no sudden shocks is our model and we aim to have it all resolved within the 6 moths Parliament expects – if lawyers for your ex work alongside us and at the same pace. &nbsp; &nbsp;<blockquote>Divorce only costs as much as it does because &nbsp;at present there is no incentive to change the system as a whole to drive down costs for the consumer.</blockquote>

 Will No Fault Divorce Really Bring Costs Down

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFor the first time ever in England and Wales, a fixed fee model covering the whole divorce process from start to finish is now available for separating couples. With this radical new way of funding marriage breakdown, pioneered by Leicestershire-based divorce lawyer, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://fair-result.co.uk">Fair Result</a>, no fees are paid until the Final Order is signed off by the court.Fair Result was launched by lawyer, Chris Sweetman, and accountant, Peter Marples, to change a broken system and provide a cheaper, easier and more transparent way for divorcing couples to separate. Fair Result hopes to drive down the costs of divorce so that separating couples keep more of their assets for themselves and their children.&nbsp;____________________________________________________________________________At present, the UK divorce rate is increasing by nearly 19% per year, and the ONS says almost 45% of all marriages end in divorce, with circa <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/divorce/bulletins/divorcesinenglandandwales/2019">109,000 being recorded in 2019</a>. With an average divorce costing £15,000, that's £1.65bn going to the legal profession each year.____________________________________________________________________________Fair Result quote a fixed fee at the start of the divorce process, which includes all ancillary matters connected with the divorce, e.g. property, children, pensions, businesses and all other family assets. There is no upfront cost and no repeated requests for more money if the case drags on.&nbsp;The exact fee is quoted after an initial assessment of the case and expected work involved. As each family is different and the complexity of their affairs different, the fixed costs will typically range from £10,000 to £30,000, but Fair Result say its fees are typically 50% less than those charged by a traditional high street law firm.Crucially, clients of Fair Result know exactly what their fee will be right at the start and throughout the process all the way to the Final Order.&nbsp;The fee also includes the cost of valuations of any assets and, if the breakdown cannot be resolved without the need to go to court, barristers' fees.The new model creates certainty for clients and doesn't leave people with that dreaded feeling each time they contact their lawyer that the fees will rack up. It also means people going through divorce are not put at a disadvantage, e.g. if one party has control of the finances and starves the other of cash, the latter is not forced to take a less favourable settlement just because they can't afford to pay escalating legal fees. No party will be financially worse off through the bullying tactics of a former partner.One of Fair Result's recent clients, Midlands-based Emma Gibson, says she had spent £17,000 and 18 months with her previous lawyer not even getting to the stage of knowing what the family value was worth, before engaging with Fair Result. She says she was amazed that, within eight weeks and for a fixed fee of just £13,000, her house, jewellery, holiday home and ex-husband's business had all been valued and they were round a table negotiating the final consent order. Emma says:<blockquote>“It was a breath of fresh air knowing that I would never have to pay more than the sum agreed at the start. That instantly removed a whole level of anxiety from what is an anxious and often traumatic experience by default. Going through divorce creates a huge amount of uncertainty so it's nice to know that there can now be at least certainty around the financial cost.”</blockquote>Chris Sweetman, co-founder, Fair Result, added:<blockquote>“Fair Result is changing the face of divorce costs radically and we expect this model to be the norm in the next five years. People will no longer be asked for money upfront and never asked for extra fees as the divorce limps along in the hands of people who make money billing by the hour. None of our clients will ever be forced to settle for less than what's fair just because they can't afford escalating legal costs. That's not right and it's just not fair. Putting an end to protracted and ever-rising legal fees in a stressful divorce situation is a massive win for the consumer.”</blockquote>

Fair Result offer England and Wales' first fixed fee divorce 

Chris is a qualified lawyer with over 20 years in practice in a variety of fields. He was also a Police Officer in a former career. Within the law, he is renowned for his pragmatic approach to dealing with cases, hence the decision to challenge convention and establish Fair-Results in 2021. He prefers to ‘pick up the phone’ rather than endless emails and letters and uses these skills to efficiently to the crux of the problem and find the optimal solution for all parties.

Chris Sweetman

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Media Coverage

Is Divorce Day really a thing? Six divorce lawyers respond three days later

Ditch the degree: 41% of graduates say start a business instead. But do business owners agree?

Former England and Liverpool defender Mark Wright joins divorce lawyer firm

Former Liverpool and British star Mark Wright join the divorce company Fair Results - London News Time

Divorce firm looks to shake up field with fixed fee for whole process - Legal Futures

Divorce firm looks to shake up field with fixed fee for whole process - Legal Futures

Former England Footballer Enters Law | Law.com International

Former Liverpool and England star joins board of divorce firm

People: Fair Result; ThinCats | TheBusinessDesk.com