Why slow and steady may sometimes not win the race to the courts

Posted onApril 1, 2020

It might be easy to assume that because of everything that is going on with COVID-19 at the moment, we should all wait for it to pass before obtaining any family law legal advice with respect to any family matters we might be going through or before issuing any court proceedings that may be necessary.

Written by Magdalena Wiktorko, Trainee Solicitor with OTS Solicitors.

COVID-19 update:

A message from OTS Solicitors - We have already brought online, and deployed the advanced infrastructure, processes and safeguards to allow our professionals and support teams to function fully remotely. Within our client service areas, our teams have implemented plans to ensure that our clients continue to be served without disruption. We would also like to remind our existing and new clients that we have offered a digital consultation option for several years and now in light of the Corona Virus developments we would encourage any clients seeking on-going consultations or new clients to contact our switchboard who will arrange an appointment via our online platform, skype or telephone conferencing

Why slow and steady may sometimes not win the race to the courts.

‘’Family law solicitors and family courts are not working properly anyway… right?’’

On the contrary family courts are inundated with applications and lists of hearings. To the extent that deadlines for filing have been extended and some matters adjourned to a later date. The courts are making an attempt for business to continue as usual but with limited staff and resources, they are struggling more and more to keep to their usual timeframes.

OTS Solicitors are operating as normal and are here to answer any of your family law questions during this challenging time. If you are currently going through separation, divorce or cohabitation issues, or are concerned about child arrangements, financial settlement or domestic violence/abuse, it is vital to consider what steps can be taken during this pandemic to protect yourself and/or your children.

We can talk you through your options and advise you whether it is necessary to apply for any family orders, taking into account your particular needs and circumstances. For instance, child arrangements orders, specific issue orders, prohibited steps orders, financial remedy orders, or perhaps non-molestation or occupation orders, should all be carefully considered.

We believe avoiding delay and achieving positive results as early in the process as possible is the key to minimising the effects of separation or other family issues on all parties and especially on any children involved.

Therefore, it is only beneficial to obtain advice now during the current situation and get the ball rolling as soon as possible. This is because once everything passes and the family courts are back to normal, they are likely to be overwhelmed with family law applications from all those who believed it was best to wait. This will most likely cause the court to experience a significant backlog, meaning that you will have to wait longer than usual for your family law application to be processed.

If you are going through any family law related issues and wish to reach out to someone for assistance, OTS Solicitors are working remotely and are here to help. For a limited time only, we offer 30-minute consultations for half the price of our usual 1-hour consultations.

* We also offer free 40-minute consultation for anyone working in the NHS *

COVID-19 update: