DIY/Online Divorce

[McFarts]

Im helping a friend of mine researching the possibility of an online divorce. She has been separated from her husband for several years, they have both moved with their lives. There are no young children or finances to sort out.

Are there any do's and dont's? any online companies that should be avoided? is all really as simple as it sounds?

Whats the cheapest way? and does anyone know a rough idea how much it would cost?

Things have probably moved on alot, but 20 years ago I did my own divorce. Went to local county court to get papers(they came with full instructions) and took it from there - cost me £50 and took around 3 months from start to decree absolute.

My exh was extremely co-operative though and signed and returned all forms immediately.

We did not have children or any finances to sort out either which makes it much easier.

It was all quite straightforward and amicable - hope your friend finds her experience the same.

I did a DIY divorce for both myself and my current husband when he divorced his ex-wife.

The Family Courts are really helpful and explain exactly how to fill the forms in, if you get it wrong they tell you where it is wrong and you just make the correction. It is incredibly simple and stress free. You can even do the oath-swearing in front of an Officer of the Court (anyone who works at court), instead of having to pay a solicitor. It cost £5 for this back in 2005.

The actual divorce cost about £220 back then, I think it's around £300 and something now, so a lot cheaper than a solicitor. My husband's ex-wife used a solicitor but she qualified for legal aid. For some reason her solicitor told her to try and claim maintenance for a 16 year old who wasn't in full-time education and was living with us - the court told her not to be so stupid. I've mentioned this as it shows that even a non-straightforward divorce can be done this way by anyone with a modicum of intelligence.

The Government and Courts prefer people to do their own divorces as it is cheaper and less stressful for everyone involved, that is why there is so much support available from the Courts.