People who want to apply for a divorce can now get online help to work through the application process and complete the required court forms using CLEO’s Guided Pathways to Divorce Forms.
This online tool, available today, leads people through the forms they need to apply for:
- a simple divorce — an application made by one spouse
- a joint divorce — an application made by both spouses
The launch of the Guided Pathways to Divorce Forms follows the Ministry of the Attorney General’s pilot launch of an online filing service for joint divorce applications (Ontario.ca/familyclaims). As of April 23, users in Brampton, Hamilton, Ottawa, and Toronto can electronically file the documents for a joint divorce application, including those that are generated through the Guided Pathways to Divorce Forms. Users can pay the court fee for this e-filing service online securely by credit or debit card.
The Pathways take users through a series of questions to help them complete their divorce forms correctly. Each question includes information that explains it in an easy-to-understand way. Users’ answers are used to create the forms they need, which they can save or print. The Pathways also generate a checklist that sets out steps for filing the divorce forms with the court. All personal information is stored securely and protects users’ privacy.
People who want to apply for a simple or joint divorce can launch the Guided Pathways to Divorce Forms from the divorce law questions on CLEO’s Steps to Justice website. Steps to Justice gives reliable, step-by-step information on family law problems, and other common legal problems, to people in Ontario.
This is the first of many Guided Pathways to Family Court Forms that CLEO is producing, with funding support from the Ministry of the Attorney General. CLEO is developing others that will help people complete family court forms on child support, custody, access, and other issues. These will be available over coming months.
About the project
The Guided Pathways to Family Court Forms build on and integrate with Steps to Justice, a collaborative project of justice sector partners. The Action Group on Access to Justice (TAG) is facilitating discussions on the Guided Pathways with Steps to Justice family law partners and other family law organizations and experts. TAG and CLEO have held discussions on the Guided Pathways to Divorce Forms with the Ministry of the Attorney General, the Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Court of Justice, Legal Aid Ontario, and several other organizations. CLEO would like to thank these organizations for generously sharing their time and expertise.
