The rate of divorce has gone down and is presently at its lowest for many years. That is well known and well publicised. But, we have been busier than ever and have recruited 5 specialist divocre lawyers in the last 10 months. How can this be?
Well, anecdotal evidence from an increasing number of our lawyers finds that Courts have suddenly started to reject divorce requests (under the procdure known as the "Special Procedure") when for many years they would have passed those same requests with the same wording. This doesn't actually stop the divorce but it certainly delays it and thus, depending upon the date of calculating the rate, reduces the rate of divorce.
It seems to me that either it is a political issue or perhaps a senior Judge has told the Courts to apply the law more stringently. Certainly we were close to being able to get a divorce on, say, the grounds of unreasonable behaviour even if someone sneezed loudly!
Given that the public seems in favour of no fault divorce and quickie divorce, this does seem another out of step approach.
Andrew Woolley
Divorce Solicitor