Lorna Elliott

Verified via Bar Standards Board register + LinkedIn
Practising barrister (LLB Hons), called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2003. Head of Legal Practice at Hackett & Dabbs LLP, Waterlooville, Hampshire. Specialises in human rights, public law and judicial review, with experience across criminal law, prison law and family law matters. Also trains other barristers in advocacy. Verified on the Bar Standards Board register as Mrs Lorna Hackett (formerly Lorna Elliott).

Articles by Lorna Elliott on The Divorce Process, Settlements, Laws, Costs and How to Cope

Becoming Intentionally Homeless: Your Rights
Becoming Intentionally Homeless: Your Rights
Leaving your home after a relationship breakdown doesn't automatically count as intentional homelessness, the council has to prove you deliberately caused it.
What You Need to Know About Pre-nuptial Agreements
What You Need to Know About Pre-nuptial Agreements
Pre-nuptial agreements set out how assets and finances are divided if marriage ends, but they're not automatically binding in England and Wales.
Financial Orders in Divorce: What the Court Can Do
Financial Orders in Divorce: What the Court Can Do
When you split from your spouse, the court can make financial orders ranging from clean breaks to ongoing maintenance payments.
Changed Your Mind About a Divorce?
Changed Your Mind About a Divorce?
You can stop your divorce at any point before the final order is granted, here's how it works.
High Profile Divorce Settlements
High Profile Divorce Settlements
How UK divorce law has evolved to give ex-partners fairer settlements, from the 50/50 split to claims on future earnings.
Partner in Prison: Should You Wait?
Partner in Prison: Should You Wait?
Dealing with a partner in prison means weighing emotional, financial and social costs against your own wellbeing and future.
Loneliness in Your Marriage: Reconnect with Your Spouse
Loneliness in Your Marriage: Reconnect with Your Spouse
When you feel alone in your marriage, it's often because you and your spouse have drifted into separate lives, here's how to reconnect.
Jealousy in Your Marriage and How to Put It Right
Jealousy in Your Marriage and How to Put It Right
Jealousy usually stems from fear and low self-esteem, but understanding whether it's reactive or suspicious helps you address it in your marriage.
Women and Divorce: Knowing Your Rights
Women and Divorce: Knowing Your Rights
Understand your rights in divorce including what happens to your home, money and children based on the law's core principles.
Divorce and Your Finances: How to Preserve Your Position
Divorce and Your Finances: How to Preserve Your Position
Protect your money during divorce with post-nuptial agreements and proper legal guidance to keep what's yours.
Unbearable In-laws: How to Survive Them
Unbearable In-laws: How to Survive Them
Deal with difficult in-laws by understanding your spouse's perspective and setting boundaries that work for your marriage.
Restore Your Relationship
Restore Your Relationship
Regular date nights can help couples reconnect, remember why they fell in love, and prevent relationships from growing stale.
Confronting Your Financial Problems
Confronting Your Financial Problems
Hidden money problems damage relationships and strain marriages, but talking openly about finances can prevent resentment and conflict.
What Is a 'Non-Molestation Order?'
What Is a 'Non-Molestation Order?'
A non-molestation order stops someone from harassing, threatening or assaulting a current or former partner or their children.
Occupation Orders and What They Mean
Occupation Orders and What They Mean
An occupation order is a court injunction that determines who can stay in a shared home and protects people from abusive partners or relatives.
Staying Together Out of Fear
Staying Together Out of Fear
Many people stay in unhappy marriages because fear keeps them from speaking up about what's wrong.
Staying Together for the Sake of the Children
Staying Together for the Sake of the Children
Weighing whether to stay in an unhappy relationship for your kids or divorce, and what's actually best for them.
Staying Together for Financial Reasons
Staying Together for Financial Reasons
Many couples stay in marriages they'd leave because divorce costs too much and they can't afford to live apart.
Emotional Scams: Beware!
Emotional Scams: Beware!
Sweetheart scams prey on lonely singles seeking love online, leaving victims with devastating financial and emotional losses.
The Blame Game: Dealing with Critical Relatives
The Blame Game: Dealing with Critical Relatives
Handle criticism from family members during your divorce by understanding their motives and setting boundaries.
Who Stays and Who Goes from the Matrimonial Home?
Who Stays and Who Goes from the Matrimonial Home?
Work out who keeps the family home in divorce by weighing mortgage costs, equity, and what you can actually afford.
Talking to Your Mortgage Lender About Your Divorce
Talking to Your Mortgage Lender About Your Divorce
Your mortgage lender needs to know about your divorce early on, and they're usually willing to help you work out your options for the home.
Feelings of Grief After a Divorce
Feelings of Grief After a Divorce
Grief after divorce is normal even when you're relieved the relationship ended, and allowing yourself to feel it helps you heal.
DIY Divorce: Is It Right for You?
DIY Divorce: Is It Right for You?
A DIY divorce might save money, but it only works if you and your ex agree on everything and can talk without a lawyer in the middle.
Dealing with Your Lawyer
Dealing with Your Lawyer
Constant calls to your lawyer during divorce can rack up huge bills, so understand billing methods and consider fixed fees to avoid surprises.
Abusive Relationships
Abusive Relationships
Why people stay in abusive relationships and struggle to recognize the harm they're facing.
Living Together Agreements
Living Together Agreements
A living together agreement protects your assets and clarifies expectations if you're moving in with a partner without getting married.
External Factors That Affect the Divorce Rate
External Factors That Affect the Divorce Rate
How legal changes, economic conditions, and financial situations influence divorce rates rather than personal conflict alone.
Changing Your Will
Changing Your Will
Marriage and divorce can automatically change your will in ways you might not expect, so here's what you need to know.
Am I Statistically Likely to Get Divorced?
Am I Statistically Likely to Get Divorced?
Check which factors actually increase your divorce risk, from age and living together before marriage to having kids.
Telling Your Partner About an Affair
Telling Your Partner About an Affair
Weigh the pros and cons of telling your partner about infidelity and prepare for the difficult conversation ahead.
Questionnaire: Is Your Spouse Really the Problem?
Questionnaire: Is Your Spouse Really the Problem?
Work through whether your marriage troubles stem from your spouse's actions or your own unresolved stress and worries.
Finding Your Confidence After Divorce
Finding Your Confidence After Divorce
Rebuild your confidence after divorce by focusing on what's good in your life and setting new goals for yourself.
Can You Afford a Divorce?
Can You Afford a Divorce?
Divorce costs more than you might expect, here's what you need to know about legal fees, child support and splitting assets.
Dividing Your Assets Before Divorce
Dividing Your Assets Before Divorce
Work out who gets what in a divorce, from your home to furniture and personal items, without going to court.
Can a Wife Force Her Husband to Move Out?
Can a Wife Force Her Husband to Move Out?
A wife can't legally force her husband out of the family home without a court order, even if she wants a divorce.
What a Separation Agreement Covers
What a Separation Agreement Covers
A separation agreement spells out custody, finances, property and support obligations so both parents know where they stand.
Deeds of Separation and Judicial Separations
Deeds of Separation and Judicial Separations
A deed of separation formalizes your split and can ease the divorce process, but it isn't legally binding in court.
Separation Agreements Vs. Divorce
Separation Agreements Vs. Divorce
A separation agreement lets you settle custody, property and support issues before divorce, making the eventual split simpler and less contentious.
Effective Communication with Your Ex During Divorce
Effective Communication with Your Ex During Divorce
Keep conversations with your ex focused on parenting and away from old arguments to protect your kids during divorce.
Controlling Your Anger After Divorce
Controlling Your Anger After Divorce
Managing intense anger after divorce takes time, and allowing yourself to feel it is the first step toward healing.
Can I Legally Force My Ex to Sell Our Property?
Can I Legally Force My Ex to Sell Our Property?
You can force a joint property sale in some cases, but it requires a court order and depends on how you both own the home.
Can Redundancy Pay Be Used in Divorce Settlement?
Can Redundancy Pay Be Used in Divorce Settlement?
Redundancy pay can be included in a divorce settlement, but you must disclose it upfront or risk your ex-spouse challenging the agreement.
Marriage Through the Ages
Marriage Through the Ages
How marriage and the role of women have transformed over the past century, from rigid rules to modern expectations.
Are You Ready to Forgive?
Are You Ready to Forgive?
Forgiveness in marriage is hard, but holding onto resentment hurts you more than staying silent about the harm.
Marriage Guidance Counselling
Marriage Guidance Counselling
Marriage counselling can help couples at any stage work through issues and strengthen their relationship, whether together or alone.
Marital and Non-marital Assets
Marital and Non-marital Assets
Understand how marital and non-marital assets are divided during divorce and which property belongs to you alone.