Family matters are the ones clients find hardest to describe and most need to be heard on. The first meeting is private, unhurried, and commits you to nothing.
Mutual consent
Where both spouses agree, a petition under Section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act (or Section 28 of the Special Marriage Act) can be presented once they have lived separately for a year. The Supreme Court has held that the six-month waiting period can be waived in suitable cases. The real work is the settlement — maintenance, custody, the flat — and drafting it so that it is honoured.
When it is contested
We seek interim maintenance and custody arrangements early, because a contested case can take time and the household cannot wait. Mediation attached to the Family Court remains open throughout, and we will tell you when we think it is worth trying.