Monday 26 January 2015

Facebook cited in a third of all divorce cases

I have previously warned of the dangers of using social media when you are in the throes of a divorce.  However, you should also be careful BEFORE you get to the divorce stage, however rocky your marriage may be.

Research by a Leeds law firm has found that Facebook is now used in over 66% of all divorce cases - whether it is photographs, proof of where people have been (automatic geo-tagging will let your 'friends' know that you were in a certain restaurant, cafe - or hotel) and details of holidays taken and cars bought being used as proof of a certain level of income.

Whilst it might be to your advantage to have Facebook available in a divorce, just make sure that you're not the one that it gets used against.

Be very careful!

Monday 19 January 2015

Divorce fees not to be increased

At last some good news - the Ministry of Justice has abandoned plans to increase the divorce application fee from £410 to £750 after an outcry over the proposed increase.

The reasons for not going ahead included:

  • There was no justification for an increased fee
  • People would be deterred from seeking a divorce if the fee went up
  • Courts shouldn’t make further profits out of the breakdown of marriages.
  • If the costs were higher, more people would stay in violent or unhappy marriages
  • It could discriminate against women - more women than men seek a divorce so higher fees would have a disproportionate impact on women.
  • Recent reforms to fee remissions mean that fewer people qualify so more would struggle to pay the fee.

Sadly though, the fee isn’t going down - the Ministry of Justice said that a decrease couldn’t be justified “in the current financial climate”.

At least it’s not going up!

Monday 5 January 2015

More parties unrepresented in the Family courts

Statistics released by the Ministry of Justice last week show that the number of cases where neither party had legal representation has risen by 40% since the changes to Legal Aid came into force in April 2013.  This means that neither side had the benefit of a solicitor standing next to them to guide them through what is often already a very stressful process.

We appreciate that lawyers can seem expensive and you may think you can cope on your own - but we do appreciate the costs to you, and so we are always happy to work on a 'pay as you go' basis in order that you can have as much (or as little) advice as you need.  If your divorce is already agreed, including finances and arrangements for your children, you may decide to go to court alone.  However, if there is any argument at all, paying for legal advice could well be good value in the long run and will help protect your rights and interests.

If you or someone you know finds yourself needing to be in court and without representation, do remember that we are here to advise.  Have a look at our website or contact us for more information - we'd like to think we can help you.