Cuts both ways

Couples separating or divorcing face a myriad of different financial and practical problems: arrangements for their children, the appropriate division of their assets, suitable housing, sorting out income resources, to name the most obvious. Their legal position in England and Wales depends on the legal status of their relationship, and for the growing number of international couples in this jurisdiction there are complex technical questions of jurisdiction. For some, there are religious and cultural issues to address.

The traditional method of addressing these problems still holds good for many couples—they each consult solicitors and matters are resolved through lawyer led negotiation or court proceedings and most commonly a mixture of the two. However, since the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) came into force on 1 April 2013 and effectively wiped out legal aid for family law (save for care proceedings and in a limited way for domestic violence cases) the court service has visibly struggled with the vast increase in litigants in person.