Civil Partnership Dissolution
In December 2005 The Civil Partnership Act became law allowing gay and lesbian couples to have their relationships recognised.
A civil partnership gives couples the same legal rights as married heterosexual couples and as such requires a formal process when a relationship ends.
To secure the dissolution of a civil partnership you must have been in a civil partnership for more than one year.
One person, known as the Petitioner needs to complete a petition which follows the same course as a divorce.