Co-op Legal Services has launched a fully comprehensive digital divorce service, enabling people to start their divorce online, supported by phone-based advice from solicitors.
Each year, more than 100,000 divorces are granted – and with three in five of the Co-op’s family law enquiries now coming from online channels (62%), the firm is expects a 146% surge in family law enquiries in the first three months of this year.
The new service means couples can start their divorce from home, at a time that suits them. It could potentially cut the amount of time it takes to complete a non-contested divorce by a third.
It will only be available for non-contested divorces in England and Wales where a couple have made the mutual decision to divorce and has been designed to use plain English and avoid legal jargon. The online tool guides customers through a set of questions, using clear language tailored to the individual’s circumstances.
Every customer can then use the booking system to arrange a follow up call with a family law solicitor who completes the papers on their behalf and returns them to the customer for signing.
Co-op Legal sends the divorce papers to the court, who will then liaise with the spouse and ask them to confirm they agree to the divorce. When confirmation is received, the business will complete the divorce on the customer’s behalf.
The Co-op has already introduced an online wills and Lasting Power of Attorney service, helping people to appoint a trusted individual to manage their health, financial and property-related affairs in the event they lose mental capacity. The suite of online services has been created to enable people to have improved accessibility to legal services with transparent fees.
Tracey Moloney, head of family law at Co-op Legal Services, said: “We know that divorce can be a difficult and heart-wrenching time for families and lives can be turned upside down.
“Couples have often already considered divorcing for a number of months but they then hold off announcing their plans until after the festive period, mainly to avoid upset among family members. We receive the highest number of enquiries in March after couples have discussed their plans in January.
“We do see a number of divorce enquiries coming in the early hours of the morning, as people want to feel like they are moving things on. Divorce isn’t something to be entered into lightly, but once a couple has made up their mind up their mind to get a divorce, we can begin to offer them the advice and legal support they need, at a time to suit them.”
Co-op offers fixed fees upfront before any legal work begins. An initial enquiry can be made via telephone or online, then a follow-up appointment is booked with an experienced family law solicitor to discuss individual circumstances. Once a quote has been provided, this price will not change.
A divorce through Co-op Legal Services costs from £600 including VAT plus £550 court fees.
