by Kiran Kaur, Fellow Legal Executive
Since 2018, the process for divorce has been moved by the Ministry of Justice to an online system. Whilst there are benefits to this, there can also be problems and risks, if you attempt a divorce online without the direct help of a specialist family lawyer, such as the HGW Family team:
Benefits:
- Speed – The online divorce system is generally quicker than the old ‘paper’ system, so long as the online application is completed properly and the ‘respondent’ spouse cooperates;
- Simplicity(?) – The online divorce system appears simple, with boxes on screen to complete and ‘tick’, but to ensure that the details are correct it is still best to have the help of an experienced family lawyer. The court official will check the details within the online application and an incorrectly completed online form can result in delay and possibly additional cost;
- Cost – An undisputed online divorce should proceed smoothly. Therefore, HGW Family team offer a fixed fee so that you can have the benefit of legal help to avoid the stress and delay of an incorrectly completed online application, with certainty of the cost.
Problems / Risks:
- Fraud – there are a number of sites online that advertise themselves as online divorce experts, which place people at risk of falling victim to a scam by providing your personal and financial information to criminals. It is important to ensure that you are dealing with a legitimate law firm that is properly regulated, such HGW Solicitors who are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
- Technical issues – if you have a problem, you may struggle to find a solution when trying to make contact with the court office. The HGW Family team will ensure that you avoid the problems in the first place and take the lead to resolve any unforeseen problems.
- Financial and Children issues – the online divorce system does nothing to help resolve these issues which divorcing couples often have to also sort out. It is essential to remember that simply getting divorced provides zero future financial safeguard unless there is also a financial order. This is usually by agreement without the need for anyone to attend court, but does still require a separate online application in parallel with the divorce process itself. A Family Court judge will assess the financial order to ensure that it is fair in all the circumstances. Therefore, specialist legal help with this is essential.
If you want to talk about divorce or any related family issues, contact the HGW Family team to arrange a FREE no-obligation consultation with one of our family law specialists.