Vardags’ Manchester office, located centrally on King Street, is home to a team of top divorce solicitors who work on the largest and most complex cases in Manchester and the North East, often involving private companies, property empires, trusts, and international assets. Ranked Tier 1 in the prestigious Legal 500 index, we have been recognised as “without a doubt one of the main go-to matrimonial finance firms in the Manchester and North West area, and nationally”.
We also serve the surrounding area, including Bolton, Warrington and St Helens.
Vardags’ team of top divorce lawyers offer unparalleled legal support to our clients in Wigan. We understand that navigating a divorce can be a challenging and emotionally charged period for you and your family. Our goal is to guide you through this process with compassion and expertise, securing the most favourable outcome for you.
Our award-winning family solicitors for Wigan specialise in:
Filing a divorce petition first can give you the legal edge over your spouse, ensuring that our top divorce solicitors deliver the greatest outcome for you and your family. If you think you may need our help, don’t delay. Contact Vardags before your spouse does.
Wigan County Court and Family Court is located in the heart of the city, next to the A577 and the A49. If you are arriving by car, you will likely be coming along one of these roads. Head onto Darlington Street and you will find Chapel Lane car park which is a two-minute walk from the court. If you are arriving by rail, Wigan North Western Station is a 0.4-mile journey from the court.
We offer a free consultation to suitable clients, typically those where the family's net assets are in excess of £1m or the combined income is in excess of £150,000
Please note that the following guide only applies to divorces started before 4pm on 5th April 2022. For divorces after this date, no fault divorce now applies.
Please note that the following guide only applies to divorces started before 4pm on 5th April 2022. For divorces after this date, no fault divorce now applies.
Defending the particulars
You may feel aggrieved about what your partner has said in their divorce petition, especially if they accuse you of adultery. It is possible to defend the allegations all the way to a contested hearing. This, however, can be very expensive and will make little difference to the outcome of your case. A more pragmatic solution may be to proceed on a cross-petition, where you make your own divorce petition, citing your spouses behavior.
If you feel that your spouse has issued in England when they are not entitled to, or if you have already issued proceedings in another jurisdiction, then you will need to defend the jurisdiction. You start this in your reply to the petition, setting out the basic details of your challenge. Following this, the court will investigate, and will hold hearings to decide whether the case can proceed in England.
Defending the case on the grounds of jurisdiction can rely on a complex mixture of law and facts, and it is vital that you take legal advice if you are in a multi-jurisdictional dispute.
If you’re considering or going through a divorce, click below for a free initial consultation with one of our expert solicitors.
Click here to read more or here for our complete list of Divorce FAQs
Vardags is one of the UK’s leading divorce law firms. We specialise in complex, high net worth and international cases. The Legal 500 has said of Vardags: “The team is noted for its sheer intellect”
Vardags is among the leading family law firms in the UK. Our solicitors specialise in complex cases for high net worth individuals, including international child relocation, child abduction, and prenuptial agreements. The Legal 500 has said that "clients feel in totally safe hands" with Vardags' Children & Family lawyers.
Our reputation and privacy team, headed by top media lawyer Alex McCready, works in and out of the public eye on cases involving defamation, privacy and reputation management. We provide expert advice and representation across the full range of reputation and privacy related matters, including crisis management, emergency injunctions and actions against online and new media.
Vardags is a leading UK law firm with expertise in complex disputes relating to a range of corporate law matters. Our team has a wealth of expertise to help clients with their legal needs.
Vardags is a successful and rapidly-growing law firm with an outstanding reputation for winning cases.
Vardags is a top law firm with a trailblazing fertility and surrogacy department. We have had success with some of the most groundbreaking cases of the last decade in the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court, with rulings that have changed the law. Vardags remains at the cutting edge of fertility law, pushing for further improvement of the outdated legislation in place in Britain.
Vardags’ civil litigation team is renowned for its nous and its consistent ability to deliver results.
Vardags' wills and trusts team has the specific expertise to cater to the wills and trusts needs of high-net-worth and high-profile individuals. Richard Todd QC, Leading Counsel for Yasmin Prest said of Vardags: “a note to acknowledge your firm’s pivotal role in achieving such an outstanding result in the recent Supreme Court case of Petrodel v Prest”.
Vardags is a leading family law firm with specialist expertise in assisting clients who are experiencing domestic abuse. We appreciate that those in abusive relationships may face difficulties contacting us. We can provide additional discretion, such as arranging alternative meeting places and talking via our WhatsApp service.
“Britain's top divorce lawyer” Ayesha Vardag rose to fame for winning the landmark Supreme Court case of Radmacher v Granatino in 2010, changing the law to make prenuptial agreements legally enforceable in England and Wales.
The founder and President of Vardags, Ayesha specialises in high-net-worth divorce, often with an international or celebrity element. Ayesha, described as “The Diva of Divorce” (TIME Magazine), has a reputation for hard-hitting litigation, commercial savvy, fearlessness, and strategic intellectual vision. This, coupled with a no-nonsense style, and a passion for her cases informed by her own experience of divorce, has won her an ultra-high-net-worth, high-profile client base second to none, made up of clients who expect the very best.
Gareth Curtis is a Partner at Vardags, advising on the full spectrum of family law issues, with particular experience in financial remedy cases as well as financial claims made on behalf of children in Schedule 1 proceedings.
A Legal 500 Leading Partner with a “fine legal brain”, Gareth specialises in HNW and UHNW cases involving complex legal and financial issues, including businesses, trust arrangements and offshore structures. Gareth also has in-depth knowledge of:
- Freezing injunctions
- Maintenance pending suit actions
- Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements
- Cohabitation agreements
- Separation agreements
- Domestic abuse
Lucy is experienced in advising on all matters arising out of divorce and separation, and is experienced in the complex issues that arise with high net worth clients, with a particular focus on private children matters. She has built a reputation as a rising star, both within the firm and from peers in her field. Lucy is also heavily involved in the development of junior lawyers at the firm and is the Deputy Training Principal for the firm nationally.
Annemarie regularly acts for business men and women, high earning self-employed consultants, professionals, sports personalities and their families.
Annemarie’s particular specialism is in the resolution of financial matters on divorce, and the resolution of financial matters between unmarried couples and parents. Her cases typically include those with high-value and complex financial issues, including the valuation of business assets, property, pensions and trusts. Her experience includes advising on cases involving nuptial agreements and those with an international element.
Hannah is an Associate at Vardags. Although Hannah works on all aspects of family law, she has a particular interest in complex financial disputes, trusts, artwork, valuation disputes and pre and post-nuptial agreements. She is also a collaboratively trained lawyer, having completed the Collaborative Practice training programme with Resolution, a community of family professionals committed to helping families and individuals resolve issues constructively.