There have been reports in the news this week raising concern over ‘Online divorce forms’ having been incorrectly calculated for people going through divorce – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35128010.
This relates to the court ‘Form E’ financial statement, which can be completed by members of the public who are going through divorce, using the Justice.gov.uk website. The problem identified in the news item is that the automatic calculators on this interactive ‘Form E’ had incorrectly calculated the summary figures in respect of that persons assets and liabilities. The concern raised is that people may have had their divorce settlement incorrectly decided by the courts on the basis of these erroneous figures.
Harbour Family Law prepares bespoke Form E’s for their clients. We obtain the Form E from a software package designed for specialist practitioners. Our calculations are checked by Solicitors, not computers, before submitting to the court.
We would also comment that the Form E document is a working document – Judges would very rarely refer specifically back to the Form E when deciding whether a financial agreement is appropriate. Counsel and solicitors prepare updated Schedule of Assets throughout the case. Updating financial disclosure would alter the initial figures supplied in the Form E, which is filed at the beginning of the Financial Remedy proceedings. There is therefore much to suggest that the news headlines do not reflect a widespread injustice having occurred, for those going through divorce.
If you believe you may have been affected or have any concerns please do not hesitate to contact Katy Zikking or Fiona Greener at Harbour Family Law Solicitors on 0117 375 1780 or mail@harbourfamilylaw.co.uk for specialist family law advice.
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