New Divorce Form Invites Name And Shame Of Adulterers

-- The government s new divorce form which invites the writer to name and shame could lead to more people being accused of adultery lawyers say. The newly designed form used to apply for a divorce in England and Wales asks for the name of the person your spouse has committed adultery with . Family lawyers say that in most cases involving a third party adds conflict and complexity . The Ministry of Justice said there was no obligation to name people. Lawyer Margaret Heathcote vice chairwoman of family law group Resolution is one of those concerned about the form. Generally speaking we don t name the third party. It increases the conflict from day one she said. There s no need. But because the box is there the indication will be to fill it in. The online form has been updated to make the legal process more user friendly especially as some complete the process without seeking legal advice. The guidance on the form highlights that it is not normally necessary to name the person your spouse committed adultery with. But Georgina Hamblin director at divorce lawyers Vardags said people are unlikely to read the much smaller print or choose to ignore it . The older version of the form left a space for so called co respondents to be named where appropriate. The new form flatly asks for the name of the person your spouse has committed adultery with Ms Hamblin explained. This is an invitation which I fear most broken hearts will not be able to refuse. If you name the person your husband or wife committed adultery with they become part of the court case. They will be sent copies of the paperwork and given a chance to respond. If they don t respond proceedings may be delayed and could incur more costs--

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