One Click to Split!
The Daily Mail has a very interesting article about the dangers and pitfalls of using online quick divorce companies which are nothing more than divorce factories.
Linda Lee, president of the Law Society, is quoted as saying: ‘Divorce can be a highly complex issue and it would be difficult for any case to receive a full and thorough analysis without a client having had the benefit of at least one face-to-face meeting with a family law solicitor.’ She says that an online divorce is not suitable where there is an imbalance of power between the parties, or if one side is being obstructive or withholding information. ‘The cheapest option is not always the best option,’ she warns.
Paula Hall, a relationship psychotherapist at Relate, says that while she supports easy divorce she worries that making it so accessible will prevent unhappy couples from attempting to patch up their differences. ‘These companies could make divorce too appealing,’ she says. ‘Fear of lawyers and the cost of divorce can help some people to continue working at their relationship.’
Paula Hall knows from personal experience that there are pitfalls to online divorce. ‘I myself divorced online four years ago,’ she says. ‘It was cheap and easy, because everything was amicable. ‘Since then, it has come to light that we don’t have a pension sharing order, which we need if I am to get any pension. ‘A solicitor would have spotted that, and we’ve now had to go back to court.’
There have also been complaints about some online divorce firms — the sector is a magnet for fraudsters. Many of the online divorce companies advertise what appear to be very cheap fees only to fail to deliver after they have debited your credit card. They are on the whole a completely unregulated business and most don’t even have a lawyer able to offer the most basic legal advice.
One unhappy customer complained that she had been sent the wrong forms: ‘I was sent an apology email offering no money back, but a £25 discount on my next divorce!’
Others complain of hidden costs or having to pay for forms that are freely available at courts.
A cheap online divorce can work for some people, if you are on excellent terms and agree on everything. However; if that is the case you can just as easily do the divorce work yourself and save the £60 these companies charge you for emailing you a form, which you can download free of charge from the court website anyway. Mark Keenan is managing director of Divorce-Online, which is an online divorce company. He admits that they can’t offer any legal advice whatsoever: ‘We recommend that people seek advice from solicitors, then once they’ve decided how to deal with their finances, children and other issues, come to us for the uncontested divorce.’
If you are contemplating divorce, you should take advice from a professional. The only people qualified to advise you about your divorce or any other legal matter are solicitors who are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. We are expert lawyers in divorce and all aspects of matrimonial law and we offer all our clients a free 30 minute telephone advice session. Call us today on 020 8401 7352 for your free 30 minute telephone consultation with a solicitor about divorce.
Click here to read the Daily Mail Article – One Click to Split!
