Financial Remedy Order Applications decline again, is the online divorce system to blame?

The ability to divorce online for free (with the exception of court fees) has been available since June 2018, and since that date the number of financial remedy order applications has declined. Are people deciding not to take legal advice to get a cheap divorce? With one part of the divorce process available for free, the cost for a financial remedy seems huge in comparison.

Are people overlooking this important part of the divorce process just to keep costs to a minimum?

If there is property, businesses or pensions involved in your marriage, then you would be foolish to omit a financial remedy as part of a divorce. What costs several hundred pound could save you thousands in the future.

When both parties are amicable, a consent order is the best route to achieve financial separation. With some negotiation, both parties agree on how their assets are to be divided fairly. A judge will asses the consent order, and if he agrees it is fair, will sign-off the order. If parties are not amicable, then a financial order will be required. This will be decided in court and involves separate legal teams fighting over assets to achieve a division of assets that the judge deems fair.

It seems more people are not taking any legal advice when applying for a divorce. Although the online divorce system is relatively easy to navigate through, people are making relatively basic errors when completing the online forms. This results in their application being rejected. Generally, there is not an additional cost to rectify any errors, but sometimes there can be an additional fee to pay. This is mainly due to the lack of experience of the applicants. This additional checking for basic errors and returning of applications is adding to the already overstretched divorce centre workload. This has a knock-on effect on other applications, as sometimes an application will be returned 2 or 3 times. This increases the timescale of the application, now typically 33 weeks from application to Decree Absolute from what was only 26 weeks 12 months ago.

Carol Sullivan from Divorce Negotiator said “People are too willing to rush into the cheapest option for divorce without considering the implications of their decision. Choosing the cheapest option is never the best option, and without any professional advice can delay the process and leave you financially short in the long run”.

When no-fault divorce gets passed through parliament, it could further add extra work to the divorce court system, as it will surely increase the number of divorce applications.

A recent survey performed by Divorce Negotiator showed that a lot of people were holding off applying for their divorce, but chose to wait for the “No-fault” option to become available. This may be the reason why the number of divorce applications has reduced by 5% from 2017.

Carol Sullivan said “If people took the time to look at all the options for divorce and a financial remedy, they would see that what appears to be the quickest, easiest and cheapest route to divorce is not necessarily what it seems. Using a professional will not only take the stress from each party but will benefit them in the long term”.


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About Divorce Negotiator Ltd

Divorce Negotiator began in 2010, when owner, Carol Sullivan, wanted to take a different approach to divorce to the traditional approach of a solicitor. Divorce Negotiator work with both parties, negotiating to achieve a fairer, cost-effective and amicable divorce. Having one divorce specialist dealing with both parties immediately reduces the costs involved, and the time taken to proceed through the divorce process. The likelihood of attending or getting involved in lengthy court battles is eliminated in 99% of our cases. Having said that, we also work with one party if their spouse has employed a solicitor. Divorce Negotiator Divorce Negotiator Ltd 179A Pack Lane Basingstoke Hampshire RG22 5HW info@divorcenegotiator.co.uk www.divorcenegotiator.co.uk Twitter: @DivorceN LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divorce-negotiator/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DivorceNegotiator/


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