Civil Partnerships The introduction of Civil Partnerships in December 2005 put gay and lesbian couples in the same legal position as married couples. This means that gay and lesbian couples who enter into a Civil Partnership have similar rights and responsibilities as married couples which include: housing matters, state benefits, pensions, inheritance, immigration, matters involving children and employment. Civil Partners will be one another’s next-of-kin and after the ceremony one party can take the other’s surname and use it on their passport, driving licence etc. Pre-Partnership Agreement If you are going to register your Civil Partnership then you may wish to consider entering into a Pre-Partnership Agreement. This is a private agreement entered into by a couple before they register their Civil Partnership and is designed to record how that couple wish to resolve financial issues arising in the event of a separation. Many people see this as a sensible way to avoid the uncertainty, bad feeling and expense which can occur at the time a relationship breaks down. If you would like a Pre-Partnership Agreement our specialist family lawyers can tailor the agreement to you and your particular circumstances. Civil Partnership Dissolution Your Civil Partnership can only be ended by death, dissolution or annulment. You are unable to apply for your Civil Partnership to be dissolved within the first year of the partnership. For your Civil Partnership to be dissolved you have to satisfy the court that your relationship has irretrievably broken down and that one of these four grounds has been satisfied: - One of the partners has behaved unreasonably
- The partners have lived apart for at least 2 years and both consent to the dissolution
- The partners have lived apart for at least 5 years
- One of the partners has deserted the other for a period of 2 years prior to the court application
If your Civil Partnership has come to an end and you wish to apply for it to be dissolved, we can represent you in this process and consider with you whether it may be possible to apply for a financial settlement as the court has the power to deal with the division of assets, property and pensions and can also make maintenance orders and orders in relation to any children. You cannot enter into a new Civil Partnership until your existing one has been dissolved. Help is at hand from our specialist family lawyers. | 
