Category: Family Law Cafe

More and more people are doing their own divorce online these days, so why not choose an online legal provider too?

It has never been easier to do your own divorce. With divorce now being dealt with online and with the simplicity of no-fault divorce, almost anyone can do their own divorce from the comfort of their home.

But online divorce is just that: it deals with the divorce itself, but nothing else. It does not deal with any dispute over arrangements for children, and in particular it does not sort out arrangements for finances.

Even if you can do your divorce yourself, you will still need legal help to sort out these matters. Attempting to sort out a financial settlement on divorce without proper legal advice is a recipe for disaster, which could result in you failing to receive your full entitlement.

And even in an apparently straightforward case you should still seek advice, not just upon the settlement, but also how to implement it (even where matters are agreed, the agreement will have to be put into a court order, which should be prepared by an expert lawyer).

Of course, obtaining legal help will normally mean finding a solicitor, going to their office to instruct them, and then dealing with them mostly at “arm’s length”, having to contact them whenever you want to know what is happening on your file, and often having to wait for a response.

But there is another way. Family Law Cafe provide an online-based service, whereby you can access your file at any time, via a secure online portal. It is the perfect companion to online divorce.

These days it is possible to conduct many aspects of our lives online, as the experience of the pandemic showed us. Why not deal with every aspect of your divorce online?

With Family Law Cafe you can do just that.

For more details about the service we provide and how we can help you, call us on 020 3904 0506, or click here, and fill in the form.

If you wish to instruct us, do so as soon as possible. Don’t wait for the divorce to be finalised – the financial settlement should be dealt with before then.

And if you don’t want to deal with the divorce yourself, we can arrange to do that for you as well!

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Family Law Cafe’s accessible team of legal experts from various disciplines expedites the customer’s case and keeps them informed and in control 24/7 through a unique and secure online portal. Family Law Cafe is your start-point for getting matters sorted with strategy, support and security.

Who wants to have to visit their lawyer every time they have something important to discuss with them?

And who wants a service where they have to wait for their busy lawyer to be available before they can ask them a question?

And who wants to have to wait until their lawyer’s office is open, and then have to telephone the office, just to find out the current position on their matter?

Well, you no longer have to put up with any of these things.

Family Law Café offers a revolutionary new type of legal service for anyone with a family law problem (not just divorce!). Now you can run your case online, from the comfort of your own home.

When you sign up with us you get access to our unique secure online portal, from wherever you want, and whenever you want, 24/7.

Via the portal you can see the current position in your matter, check for important upcoming dates in your case calendar, read and review documents. You can even request an answer to any question, and the answer will be there once a lawyer has logged in and considered it.

And the online portal can also be made available (with your permission) to anyone that you may need to help you with you case, such as an expert accountant – no need to spend time and money copying a paper file to them.

With Family Law Café you can truly run your case from home, at a time that suits you. For further details of our service telephone us on 02 03 9 04 05 06, or click the ‘Sign up’ button at the top of the page, and complete the form. We will contact you back in a way, and at a time, that suits you and can discuss how we work and what we can offer you.

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Family Law Cafe’s accessible team of legal experts from various disciplines expedites the customer’s case and keeps them informed and in control 24/7 through a unique and secure online portal. Family Law Cafe is your start-point for getting matters sorted with strategy, support and security.

Photo by Content Pixie on Unsplash

Much has been made in the media over the last week of the success of the Ministry of Justice’s online divorce service, which was launched last April. Figures revealed by the Government showed that since then more than 23,000 online applications for divorce have been made. It has also been revealed that 455 applications were filed between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, with 13 submitted on Christmas Day itself.

Of course only the divorce procedure itself can presently be dealt with online. Other aspects of the divorce, such as dealing with financial matters and arrangements for children, still have to be dealt with ‘on paper’, as do other types of family cases.

Commenting upon the figures Justice Minister Lucy Frazer QC said:

“These online services are already making a difference to people who use the justice system. As we reach this milestone it’s encouraging to see people are reporting these services work well for them and are a better fit around their busy lives.”

We agree that people who have family law problems find it convenient to be able to deal with the matter online where they want, and when they want. That is why we provide our customers with access to a secure online digital platform, which contains all of your case materials, no matter what type of family case it is.

As well as viewing all of your essential case papers, the platform enables you to see any important dates in your case calendar, and speak with your Expeditor (an experienced lawyer, who will help you with key decisions) and case experts by instant messaging.

Family Law Cafe. The future is already here.

For further information about our service, or to book a free initial consultation, click the green button at the top of this page and fill in the form, or call us on 020 3904 0506.

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Family Law Cafe surrounds and supports the customer with both legal and pastoral care, end to end, from top barristers to case workers to therapists and mediators, to help the customer get the best possible result with the minimum stress.

Image: Family Law Cafe.

The first working day of the year is supposed to be ‘Divorce Day’, the day when family lawyers receive more new divorce instructions than on any other day of the year. As one local newspaper put it:

“Family lawyers across the land are rubbing their hands together in eager anticipation of their busiest time of year – Divorce Day.

“It’s the day solicitors get a nice boost to their business as they see a surge in separation enquiries after the pressures of the festive break.”

Well, we can tell you that family lawyers do not ‘rub their hands together’ in anticipation of “a nice boost to their business”. Many family lawyers will actually tell you that there is no such thing as ‘Divorce Day’ – that it is nothing more than a media invention.

Whatever, if you have decided that now is the time to bring your marriage to an end, you will need the best help you can find. This is where Family Law Cafe can assist.

Upon receiving instructions from you we will carry out an assessment and direct you to the best lawyers and experts that you need to deal with your particular case. We will prepare a strategic plan for the case, and ensure that you only spend money on what you need to bring the case to a successful conclusion.

As your case progresses you will have 24-hour access to all of your important documents, via our secure online portal. And throughout the case you will be able to seek advice and support from a mentor that will be assigned to your case.

For further information, or to book a free initial consultation, click the green button at the top of this page and fill in the form, or call us on 020 3904 0506.

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Family Law Cafe offers a modern, agile and compassionate approach to family law, giving you a helping hand when you need it and guiding you through the complexities of this difficult and stressful area.

Image: Family Law Cafe

The government has worked hard to produce a new form for starting divorce proceedings which is clearly aimed at members of the public as a way of obtaining a divorce without a lawyer. The trouble is that the system of divorce, which has been around for almost 50 years has a detailed set of laws and procedures and, no matter how many explanations are given within the form, problems are going to occur.

At a time when the Supreme Court is being asked to define what is meant by “unreasonable behaviour” then is it really wise to ask members of the public to choose themselves which of the five factors they rely upon to support a finding that there has been an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage and for them to decide on what facts are pleaded? If Tini Owens can’t establish her divorce after years in the system, will they? And will more choose facts that they can’t actually prove and which cause great tensions and distress such as alleging adultery (which most lawyers never use unless they have in their hand a signed consent due to issues of proof)?

The form now runs to 15 pages but many people may not realise that it does not get scrutinised until near the end of the process i.e. no-one legal looks at it until after the other party has returned their form saying if they defend it or not and then there has been an affidavit confirming the contents and an application to the court. This all takes a while. Many petitions get kicked back as, ultimately, no matter how simplified the form, this is a serious legal process and hoops need to be jumped. Divorce lawyers, having done a few, have less of a tendency to miss one of the many boxes that need to be ticked (yes this form does have to be absolutely correct).

There are significant parts of the law which the form seeks to explain in notes to the right hand side of the form – unfortunately the likelihood is that people will not realise how important the points are. For example, they may not complete the part of the form that asks for financial provision because at the time they feel that everything will be decided amicably. They may then get remarried and then realise that they should have made a claim e.g. for property but it would be too late. Any lawyer completing the form would tick the boxes knowing there is nothing to be lost in doing so.

The government knows divorce is a money spinner for the courts, the current fee is £550, whereas the cost of processing a divorce for the court is £270. There were proposals to hike this further. In the end it is generally a miserable time and having your petition returned or the other party becoming upset at your allegations is the last thing needed. It would be nice to think that the court divorce fee would not rise further so that individuals can afford legal advice to deal with a significant change of status and when they are likely to need advice as to finances, children and wills.

Image: New divorce application form, available here.