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One-year Anniversary of No-Fault Divorce

April 2023

With today marking the first anniversary of no-fault divorce provisions being introduced, Raphaela Kohs explores the impact of these provisions.

Today, 6 April 2023 marks the first anniversary of the no-fault divorce provisions coming into force.

The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act (2020) was finally introduced on 6 April 2022, and it offered separating couples a path to be granted a divorce without alleging blame. It was a historic change and removed the outdated need for parties to find fault with their ex – partner on the divorce petition.

From a practitioner’s experience the no-fault divorce has been almost entirely positive. It removed the acrimony from the divorce at the outset and enabled parties to focus on children and financial matters from the start. It has enabled parties to agree to process the divorce together and have control of the steps taken during divorce proceedings.