New Centres for Divorce – what are the changes?

This year, there will be changes to how divorce proceedings are processed by the Courts. You will no longer issue your divorce petition at your local court and will instead use a new designated divorce centre.

The changes are intended to free up judicial time, with the work being undertaken by legal advisors, under the supervision of a District Judge.

So where do you send your divorce papers?

Does this make it a cheaper process?

For the Court, it’s a more efficient and streamlined process. For the public, there is no proposed change to the fees as yet. In fact, there are potential fee changes in April 2015 so watch this space.

What about more complicated cases?

Contested applications, annulments and judicial separation applications will be dealt with by District Judges.

Can I attend the Centre and issue my petition in person?

Yes, but you will then just join the queue of paperwork to be dealt with. The Centres will be open as per their usual counter hours.

What about urgent matters?

You can still issue an urgent petition as per the usual rules. There is no change to the law.

And what about financial proceedings?

There are going to be changes which will mean that when you issue an application to deal with financial matters, you can chose which Court you wish to issue in. Hopefully, this will mean a sensible outcome where parties can attend their local court. All that remains to be seen is what happens when there is a dispute over where the proceedings should take place.

Still confused?

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