4 Out of 10 Divorce Petitions Returned Due to Errors

During a briefing this week at a new divorce hub for London and the South East, statistics were quoted that revealed 4 out of 10 divorce petitions have to be returned for correction due to errors.

The divorce hub, which is based in Bury St Edmunds, is expected to handle 40 percent of all divorce cases in England and Wales after work transfers have been completed. So far, work has been transferred from 28 of the 45 divorce courts in London and the South East with the aim of processing all undefended divorce work by October, barring urgent matters.

Solicitor Tony Roe, who broke the news of the hub's location, said:

"HMCTS hopes for economies of scale, not to mention a better service. Indeed, the service said that there was a backlog of 600 petitions in Brighton and Guildford going back three months and it was decided to transfer the work of those courts to Bury St Edmunds now.

"HMCTS has quoted an alarming 40% of petitions which have to be returned for correction to solicitors' firms owing to errors in drafting or procedure, for example failure to enclose issue fees, lack of signature or missing/incorrect details. It will pay practitioners to check and have someone else double check all petitions they plan to file."

Bury St Edmunds is one of 11 divorce centres across England and Wales that act as a single point of entry for all divorce and financial remedy applications within a specific region. All centres are expected to be fully operational by December 2015 and any subsequent cases that require a hearing will be transferred to the parties' preferred court.

If you want to file for divorce or need advice after being served with papers, contact our divorce solicitors on 020 8297 4414 for advice.

Mandy Peters LLP

Divorce Solicitors