Our Blogs

Every day, it seems, new and adverse effects of government cuts are being identified. Now, many legal professionals are claiming that the lack of funding available to the family courts will result in it taking far longer for couples to divorce, even if the matter is entirely uncontested. Following these concerns having come to light, Quickie Divorce has been inundated with calls and emails from would be divorcees querying their validity, and whilst we inform them that we have not yet noticed any delays, we also state that it is only logical to conclude that the judiciary’s time will be severely restricted following these cuts having truly begun to take effect and that this is likely to result in significant delays. Fortunately, though, last week’s Family Justice Review contained a proposal that could potentially prevent this. Arguing that it is simply not necessary for judges to have any involvement in any uncontested divorce, the review has advised that all applications for uncontested divorces should be handled by a court’s administrative staff only; a recommendation that Quickie Divorce wishes to add its unwavering support. Why, after all, does a judge need to be involved when a couple are in full agreement to not only their divorce, but also the division of assets and childcare? Many may feel that a judge is the only individual that is capable of determining whether or not satisfactory grounds for a divorce exist or if the divorcing couple have ensured that adequate plans for the children of the marriage are in place. These individuals are, however – with the greatest of respect – mistaken; administrative staff are more than capable of rubberstamping any petition concerning an uncontested divorce. When tasks are delegated correctly, productivity and efficiency will invariably improve. The recommendation discussed above serves as clear proof of the fact that the authors of the Family Justice Review recognise this. Removing the need for a judge to review all divorce petitions when matters are uncontested will not only afford the judiciary additional time to address other matters, but will also almost certainly result in uncontested divorce being processed at a significantly faster rate. This proposal represents a step in the right direction. Let’s hope the government give it the consideration it clearly deserves.