Cozens-Hardy spearheads bid to speed up divorce settlements

Cozens-Hardy has joined a new online scheme that aims to dramatically reduce the time it takes divorcing couples to obtain a formal court order finalising their financial settlement.

It can currently take up to four months for couples to get a formal order, even when they have already agreed its terms - but the new fast-track scheme could slash this frustrating delay by three quarters, to less than two weeks.

The reality is that divorcing couples are often left in financial limbo for many weeks. These delays are frequently out of our hands as solicitors – yet they often cause complications and give rise to additional stress at what it is already a sad and difficult time for divorcing couples. When people take the decision to divorce they are often very surprised to learn how long it is likely to take to sort out the divorce and financial matters, even if an agreement is reached at an early stage. 

Last year was very difficult. Once an agreement had been reached about the finances, we frequently found that it was taking three months for a court order to be finalised - and even then it was sometimes another four weeks before the agreed order was sent out. This new scheme has the potential for agreed financial settlements submitted to the court online to take just one or two weeks to be turned around.

So we really are delighted to be part of this pilot scheme that has been launched by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service.

If you have any questions about this issue or any other family related legal query, you can email me at jmanderson@cozens-hardy.com or contact myself or one of my colleagues on 01603 625231.