Family Court Fees
The Ministry of Justice has confirmed last week that it intends to plough ahead with its proposal to increase the cost of Family Court fees.
The fees for filing an application for divorce, nullity or civil partnership dissolution will increase from £550 to £590.
An application for child arrangements order will also increase from £215 to £232.
This comes on the heels of news that the North West Regional Divorce Unit in Liverpool closed on 31st August 2021 and transferred its business to Bury St Edmunds Family Court.
However, all is not lost. Divorces are now issued electronically through the online divorce portal and are being processed efficiently and swiftly.
Whilst the Family Court is taking an increased amount of time to list cases for court hearings, those considering whether to commence court proceedings should consider the benefits of resolving disputed matters through the Family Arbitration process. Arbitration can be arranged at very short notice with a jointly appointed expert Family Court judge. The same level of financial disclosure is required in arbitration as in the court process, and proceedings are confidential and cannot be published.
Arbitration can be arranged to resolve financial disputes and contested children cases. A list of arbitrators is available at IFLA.
Here to Help
For more information about arbitration, please get in touch with a member of our Family Law Team on 0161 941 4000 or email the Family Law Team.