How do I find a divorce lawyer who speaks English?

The main kind of lawyer you will need is an avocat specialised in droit de la famille (family law). Using one is obligatory, even if the divorce appears to be simple and amicable because you need him or her to represent you in front of the juge aux affaires familiales. Where two people divorce by mutual consent they may choose to be represented by the same avocat, otherwise it is usual for each to have their own.

If the spouses own real estate it will also be necessary to use the services of a notaire for the ‘liquidation of the matrimonial regime’, involving calculating the correct sharing out of property.
Lists of family law avocats are available at the desk of the tribunal de grande instance courts, however you can also look for one online.

The avocats.fr site run by official bar body the Conseil national des barreaux has a ‘directory’ which includes the option to include language skills in the search. Visit: www.avocat.fr/contacter-un-avocat/annuaire-avocats

For the best chance of finding someone, we would suggest searching by barreau (bar) area rather than narrowing it to a town or postcode, then pick Droit de la famille as the specialism and English from the languages list.

Note that various other sites come up on an internet search to find an avocat, but most are for specific legal groups as opposed to being an impartial, national, service. That does not, of course, necessarily mean you should not consult them, but bear in mind what you are looking at (looking at the Mentions légales section, which can often be found at the bottom of a web page, may help if in doubt).

To find an English-speaking notaire visit www.notaires.fr/en/directory-french-notaire