For anyone staring idly at their spouse across the breakfast table and wondering how 2022 will be a landmark year for splitting up — “no fault” divorce is finally coming to England and Wales — I have encouraging news. It’s from speaking to a pair of divorce lawyers with five children, 29 years of marriage (not to each other), thousands of former couples and one radical new idea between them.
First, to get a flavour of what is at stake and how it could change, these two pioneering lawyers, Samantha Woodham and Harry Gates, bring up the case known only by the first initial of the husband and wife’s last name: “M v M”, although it could equally have been Kramer vs Kramer