Family Law

In spite of media speculation to the contrary, a national survey commissioned by divorce financing company Ampla Finance, and carried out by YouGov, has revealed that 34% of British adults would be less likely to begin divorce proceedings during the coronavirus pandemic.

The survey of 1,005 divorced adults, analysed in Ampla Finance’s report: ‘Divorce - can we improve the process?’, also highlights some interesting generational and regional differences in how satisfied individuals are with the divorce process and their solicitors.

The survey examined several aspects of respondents’ experiences of divorce, and key findings included:

• Family and friends are replacing legal aid: 41% of under-55s borrowed money from friends of family to finance their divorce, compared to 11% of over-55s, who were most likely to have been eligible for legal aid.
• The perception is that solicitor fees are becoming less transparent: More than a third of under-55s said their divorce was more expensive than initially quoted, compared to 26% of over-55s. 
• The younger demographic is moving away from their solicitor’s office to the web: only 20% of under 55s sort help from a legal adviser compared to 66% of over 55s.

 The survey revealed some interesting regional variances in terms of attitudes towards family lawyers:  

• Londoners were shown to be the most fee-sensitive.
• Those in the SE were the least happy with their initial consultations and felt additional support services should have been provided.
• Wales stood out as the region where respondents had the strongest opinions about how their family lawyers could improve.
• Scotland showed the highest overall satisfaction levels.

Louise Hall, Commercial Director at Ampla Finance, added:

“We are pleased to contribute to the conversation about divorce with this survey, and hope it will shine a light on how family lawyers can continue to adapt to changing customer preferences. It’s clear that finances are a huge concern for individuals going through divorce, so we’re proud to be offering a solution that takes some of the stress out of the process.”

Access the full survey here.