Covid Divorce delays

Leading lawyers say that because of court backlogs delays for divorcing couples have doubled forcing them to wait up to 18 months to legally separate.

 

Law firms are reporting increases of upto 50 per cent in couples seeking to separate since March while some who applied to divorce before coronavirus have had to spend four months in lockdown together in the same house.

 

According to internal court data seen by a leading Sunday broadsheet they are facing waits of six months to finalise their decree nisi compared with delays of only three months before Covid-19.

 

Then, if there are financial disagreements that have to go to trial, they face up to a year to agree a decree absolute.

 

Joanne Wescott, a partner in family law in London stated, "The delays were pretty appalling prior to Covid-19, but they are now disastrous.". The firm has seen enquiries rise from 75 in March to 116 in June and 112 to date in July.

 

The Ministry of Justice is planning "Nightingale" courts, with evening and weekend sittings, and greater use of video and remote hearings to increase capacity to clear the backlogs. 

 

Internal data from the Ministry of Justice's divorce centre at Bury St Edmunds show there is a 15-week delay before a legal adviser will even consider decree nisi applications. Lawyers who logged on to get timing updates last week were told that the centre is only now processing, "correspondence including emails" that were received on April 1.

 

This has led to claims of upto 4 months worth of delays within the system.   

 

 

Broadgate Legal

London Solicitors