Court backlogs are ruining lives, says Wilsons Solicitors during ‘Good Divorce Week’

Divorces are on the increase again with the most recent statistics showing 113,000 divorces in 2021 – up nearly 10% on the previous year – and the impact on wait times is stark. On average it now takes 52 weeks to conclude divorce proceedings.

In addition, official figures show that while private children’s cases were down by 7% during the last year, they are taking on average six weeks longer to reach a conclusion. And estimates suggest it takes nearly two years to resolve financial matters.

That leaves many families in limbo for over a year. That has a knock-on effect on children’s schooling and family finances.

Resolution surveyed its members on the current court backlogs and found:

• 20% said court delays caused clients to rely on benefits
• 34% said they’d referred a client to a counsellor or therapist to help them cope with the stress of ongoing court delays
• 90% said court backlogs were causing additional and unnecessary stress and pressure for clients

"A ‘Good Divorce’ may sound like a total contradiction. The specialist Family Team at Wilsons are members of Resolution, an organisation representing 6,500 family justice professionals. Monday 28 November marks the start of ‘Good Divorce Week’, which focuses on how we can help couples achieve a swift, amicable divorce and avoid the enormous harm which protracted Court proceedings can cause them and their children.

“We are proud to be offering 30-minute free advice sessions during Good Divorce Week so families get the benefit of early professional advice.”

“Under resourcing the family courts system is a false economy inflicting unnecessary pressure on the public purse and unconscionable stress on families at an already stressful time in their lives. A study of the impact of funding legal advice in Scotland found that, every £1 spent by government on legal aid in family cases saw a return of around £5 elsewhere.

“If the government were to focus more on encouraging early advice for separating couples and including information about all out of court options it could ease the pressure on family courts. Resolution members like Wilsons Solicitors are doing their best to help families achieve better outcomes and find long-lasting resolutions.”