Divorce-Online, under the leadership of CEO Mark Keenan, who pioneered ‘online divorce’ in the nineties, has been at the forefront of championing consumer rights.
Over the past 23 years, Divorce-Online has assisted more than 180,000 clients, saving them an impressive £150 million in legal fees.
Court fees for divorce have long been a contentious issue, often acting as a significant obstacle for couples seeking to end their marriages.
The current court fee of £593 places an undue financial burden on individuals during an already stressful period in their lives, often leading them to resort to credit cards to cover these costs. Divorce-Online firmly believes that the court service should not be funded on the backs of broken relationships; such a practice is both unjust and morally reprehensible.
The introduction of no-fault divorce in April 2022 marked a significant milestone, streamlining the divorce process and making it 99% ‘online’. While this reform was a step in the right direction, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is now proposing an increase in divorce application fees from £593 to £652, a £59 hike. Divorce-Online vehemently opposes this move, asserting that it places an undue financial burden on the general public.
Divorce-Online has taken decisive action by launching a petition to stop the proposed fee increase. The company calls on all family law professionals to join this cause and help send a clear message to the Ministry of Justice.
An anonymous commenter on The Society Law Gazette aptly pointed out, “Hopefully, the good people at the MOJ are reading these comments. Have they factored in how much they will be refunding in fee remissions? They can’t have done. They wouldn’t be able to make that projection. Therefore their projected increased revenue is far from accurate. Unfortunately, this is just like most other ‘big businesses’ now… the fees get hiked, and the service levels drop. Fee remission is present in as many as 35% of divorce applications, according to our latest research.”
Divorce-Online stands resolute against the proposed court fee increase and is committed to fighting for fairness and justice in family law. We urge the public to support our cause by Signing our petition.
Featured Photo by Zoriana Stakhniv on Unsplash.