The online divorce packages being offered by the Howells family law team have proven so popular that local and national newspapers have picked up on them and featured Howells Solicitors over the weekend.

The Wales on Sunday ran with this article:

Read the full story here.

The Sun also mentioned us:

As you can probably imagine, what was already a popular new service has now received many more enquiries as a result of this exposure.

by Tristan Lewis

We have launched three online divorce packages to provide alternative, affordable legal solutions. 

The online packages are thought to be a first of their kind to be developed and introduced by a Welsh law firm. Drafted and prepared by Hannah Magee, an associate solicitor specialising in Family Law and using bespoke software, the new services will enable cases to be processed quickly, efficiently and most importantly without compromising the quality of work.

The entry level package costs just £35 + VAT and is applicable for uncontested, simple divorces where both parties agree to the divorce and there are no children or financial issues. The second package also includes the drafting of a divorce petition by Howells Solicitors and can include a Statement of Arrangements for children. Finally the third package, ‘Managed Divorce’ provides the client with a fixed fee fully managed divorce including representation from Howells Solicitors throughout the divorce process.

The family law market that is set to change quite dramatically this year. At the beginning of April, legal aid will no longer be available for most divorce, financial and private law cases. Unless individuals can afford to pay privately they may have to represent themselves in person before the family law court. 

Approximately 250,000 people a year in Wales and England receive family advice and representation using Legal Aid. Some sources predict that this will drop to as few as 40,000 after the cuts to this funding in April.

Richard Scott, partner and senior solicitor in our Family Law team said, “It is a well known fact that more and more people are using online resources to source professional services that used to be only available on the ‘high street’. In the legal industry, 2012 saw the arrival of Alternative Business Structure (ABS) and more white label legal services being offered by large organisations and of course more online providers. Traditional legal practices need to modernise and adapt their services to compete.”

He continued, “We recognised the opportunity to couple the skills and experience of our large matrimonial team with the software we have developed to provide an online service that will be delivered by qualified solicitors. This will differentiate us from the majority of our competitors in the online market and also enable us to provide cost effective divorce services for those that might previously have relied on Legal Aid.” 

The online packages are already available via our website here.

by Hannah Magee

In part 2 of our complete guide to divorce we look at the various stages involved in the divorce procedure (View part 1 here).

So, first things first...

Where Should You File Your Divorce Application?

Divorce applications can be filed in any divorce county court or in the Principal Registry in London. The nearest court to you can be easily located using the following website: http://www.justice.gov.uk/about/hmcts/

Payment can be made by debit or credit card, cash, postal order or cheque, which should be made payable to ‘HM Courts & Tribunals Service’. Depending on circumstances, certain individuals are eligible for a fee remission in full or in part. To see if this applies to you, visit the court service website and refer to booklet EX160A, entitled: Court Fees – Do I have to pay them? More...

A divorce is a difficult enough situation, trying to provide sufficient financial resources to support two homes when previously there was one,  without matters being made worse by both parties having to contend with the added expense of solicitor’s fee’s. Here is our step-by-step guide to a divorce, helping you to understand proceedings and providing potential clients with the information they need to conduct their own online divorce and saving them a great deal of money along the way.

What Are Grounds for Divorce? 

The only ground for a divorce is the irretrievable breaking down of a marriage. In this situation, the party bringing the divorce proceedings is known as the ‘petitioner’, while their spouse is called the ‘respondent’. To show there has been an irretrievable breakdown in the relationship, the petitioner must be able to prove one of the following five facts:  More...

As the season to be jolly draws to an end, reality returns for many couples and sadly for some their new year resolutions including making a fresh start without their partner.

Our Family Law team received an influx of new enquiries on the 3rd January, a day which has become known in the legal industry as ‘Divorce Day’. This marks the start of a particularly busy period for the Family Law department.

Although divorce rates are at their lowest level since the 70’s, figures released in November stated that 117,558 couples got divorced in 2011. Last month’s published Census figures showed that for the first time since records began married people were in the minority and 4.1 million people described selected ‘divorced’ as their marital status, an increase of 20% since the last Census.

Margaret Phillips, Partner and Head of Family Law at Howells Solicitors explained there are numerous reasons why this time of the year is particularly busy for lawyers. She said, “The Christmas period can be very stressful and emotional for some couples who might not be used to spending that much time together. Coping with children, extended families, and seasonal bad weather can also contribute to the strain. Some couples with children do their best to stay together for one final ‘magical’ Christmas as a family before parting in the new year.”

Financial pressures can also contribute to the breakdown of marriages. Ms Phillips continues, “The tough current economic climate can put relationships under strain. Redundancy, job insecurity, paying for Christmas can all have a negative impact on relationships.”

If you're looking for advice from expert divorce solicitors, call the Howells divorce lawyer team on 02920 404014 or email info@howellslegal.com today.

by Tristan Lewis