Financial applications in divorce to be issued online
24 November 2022
It is likely that all Financial Remedy applications within divorce will shortly need to be issued through the online court portal. Approximately 80% of applications are being processed via the portal but the rest are being submitted on paper. The aim is for it to be mandatory for the applications to be submitted via the court’s online Case Management System by the end of January 2023.
It is also being proposed that Barristers will be able to access the portal and it will be possible to vary applications on the portal, something which is not possible at present. The portal has recently been updated to provide for hearing bundles to be filed via the system.
Other cases that cannot currently be submitted digitally are Schedule 1 applications, relating to financial matters for children, and, it should be possible to do so by the end of 2022. It should also be possible to vary applications later this year.
The portal is currently only used by legal representatives. Those not represented when making such an application will continue to use the paper process. The online system can make it much simpler to submit applications and upload documents to the case, once it is underway. However, certain limitations have meant that some applications still need to be made on paper, giving a hybrid situation, which is not ideal. Hopefully, these issues will also be resolved over the coming months.
If you have any queries about financial matters arising out of divorce proceedings, our experienced Family team are always happy to help and offer further advice. They can be contacted by calling 01302 341414 or 0114 272 1884 or you can fill out our online enquiry form.
We have further articles on our website relating to financial matters and divorce, here are three that you may find useful:
