Where Does Divorce-Online Sit in the Family Law Market in 2026?

Family law in England and Wales has changed more in the last 20 years than in the century before it. To understand where Divorce-Online fits in 2026, you first have to understand what the market used to look like — and what disappeared.

In the 1990s, almost everyone had access to legal help

In the 1990s there were only two real ways to get divorced.

You either went to your local high-street solicitor, or you bought a DIY divorce pack from WH Smith.

But crucially, there was a third route for most people: legal aid.

If you were on a low or moderate income, you could get advice under the Green Form scheme and full legal aid for divorce, finances and children. Whatever you received was repaid later from your settlement through the statutory charge.

That meant something very important: almost everyone could get proper legal help.

You did not need to be wealthy to protect yourself.

That system has now gone.

Legal aid has been removed for most family cases. High-street solicitors are priced for people with assets. And the Government’s online portal has turned divorce into a form-filling exercise rather than a legal process.

This created a massive gap in the market.

Why Divorce-Online was created

Divorce-Online was never designed to replace solicitors. It was designed to replace legal aid.

It was built for the huge group of people who:

• Don’t qualify for legal aid
• Are not wealthy enough to spend £10,000–£30,000 on lawyers
• Are capable of agreeing things between themselves
• But still need the law done properly

From the beginning, our role has been very specific.

We help people turn an agreement into something that is legally binding.

That is the part of divorce that actually matters.

Most couples do not fight forever. They reach agreement at the kitchen table, through mediation, or after some negotiation. What they then need is not more discussion — it is a legal order that stops future claims.

That is what a consent order (or clean break order) does.

Drafting those properly is where the risk sits. That is where Divorce-Online specialises.

The rise of the “amicable” divorce brands

In recent years, a new type of divorce company has entered the market.

They usually promise:

• A guided, amicable process
• Coaching or facilitated conversations
• Help reaching an agreement
• Followed by legal paperwork

What is rarely said out loud is that these models are expensive and often built around a parent company that wants your financial planning, wealth management or long-term advisory work. The divorce itself is frequently the entry point.

That works well if you are a venture-backed financial platform.

It is far less helpful if you are simply trying to get divorced, protect yourself and move on.

Most couples do not need to be managed or coached for months. They need their agreement locked in.

Where Divorce-Online actually sits in 2026

Divorce-Online is not a mediator. We are not a relationship coach. We are not a wealth platform.

We are the end point of the divorce process.

People come to us when:

• They have agreed things themselves
• They have finished mediation
• Or they just want the legal work done properly at a sensible cost

They do not want philosophy. They do not want upselling. They want certainty.

We provide the legal mechanism that turns agreement into protection.

That is our market.

The family law market in 2026

Family law has now split into three clear lanes.

The first lane is traditional legal representation: litigation, complex cases, high-net-worth divorces and full solicitor involvement.

The second lane is the new coaching-led, finance-backed divorce brands that charge significant fees for guided processes.

The third lane is where Divorce-Online sits: people who have already done the hard part and just need the law done correctly.

That group is bigger than most people realise. It includes couples who have sat down together, people who have been through mediation, and those who simply want to make sure their financial agreement is final and enforceable.

They are not looking to fight. They are looking to finish.

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If you are already agreed, coming out of mediation, or simply want your divorce properly tied up, Divorce-Online exists to quietly do that final, crucial piece — making sure what you have decided is legally binding so you can move forward with certainty.