What is Ancillary Relief?
Simply put, ancillary relief is the legal term for a financial settlement that is Court lead. Either party can apply for Ancillary Relief, but this must be after the Divorce Petition has been issued. The purpose of Ancillary Relief Proceedings is to divide the matrimonial assets according to the needs and requirements of the parties. Ancillary relief will involve the exchange of discovery (see below) and normally a Financial Dispute Resolution Hearing.
The Court can make different Orders during this process including
- Maintenance Orders, which orders one party of the marriage to make maintenance or periodical payments to the other.
- Lump Sum Orders, which orders one spouse to make a single lump sum of money to the other
- Pension Sharing Orders, in which the Court orders the sharing or transfer of pensions between the parties
- A Property Adjustment Order which could order the transfer of property, or the sale of a property.
