It’s ‘Good Divorce Week’ 2020: Book your free 30 minute advice session

This week is ‘Good Divorce Week 2020’. Resolution is promoting this week (30th November – 4th December 2020) to highlight the effect of some of the issues within the family justice system upon those who divorce.

During Good Divorce Week 2020, members of Resolution, including Emsleys Solicitors, are offering 30 minutes of advice for free to anyone who has issues arising from separation and divorce.

Resolution is a national body comprising of 6,500 family law professionals who believe in a constructive, non-confrontational approach to family matters. The group campaigns for improvements in the family justice system. Resolution started out life as a group of around 30 family lawyers in the 1980s who were concerned about the impact of highly confrontational and aggressive legal practices on divorcing couples and families.

A recent YouGov survey commissioned by Resolution found that 41% of divorcing adults described suffering from mental health problems during or following the process of divorce, with over half of those admitting to suicidal thoughts. Meanwhile, 63% of divorcees surveyed felt that if they could have accessed early professional advice, it would have improved their experience.

The family court system has had to undergo a rapid period of change during the pandemic. The court has struggled to cope with the pressures of centralising divorce into one unit; implementing an online divorce system; dealing with remote hearings via telephone or video link, and face to face hearings with social distancing.  These rapid changes coupled with staff absences have led to significant delays in some instances, with hearings cancelled at short notice and some documentation not being processed for months. Currently online processes are inflexible, however a raft of changes are expected in the New Year. 

Delays can often exacerbate stress and anxiety arising from the uncertainty of an outcome. It is important that divorcing couples and families are signposted to alternatives to the court system and get the right advice as to probable outcomes at an early stage.

Emsleys’ Family Law team are members of Resolution and can give you the right advice at a difficult time. For a confidential discussion, please contact 0113 201 4902 or email family.law@emsleys.co.uk.