3 ms·

Depends entirely on the software. If it was confusing and poorly put together such that it was difficult or unclear whose name gets put where and so forth, then

Depends entirely on the software. If it was confusing and poorly put together such that it was difficult or unclear whose name gets put where and so forth, then there's a case to be made (!) that the lawyer intended and expected the software to do one thing, when it actually did another. Some things should require human control and agency involved at every step from conception to completion. Even if the software merely enabled such a mistake to be made, that means the software is interacting with a system that is not equipped to handle failure modes gracefully. It's half baked, and as seen, the system can have profound and lasting impact on people's lives. If the stakes are high, the diligence and care have to be escalated as well. Marriage, divorce, bankruptcy, and other situations should be human only until we are entirely certain that programmatic access is not going to result in hiccups and disruptions.

graemep 3y ago
If you do it yourself (I did) its a reasonably straightforward webapp, and you do not really need a lawyer (its no-fault, and the divorce is separate from financial and child arrangements cases). You just fill in some forms, then wait a few months and fill in another form. The problem here is that when lawyers deal with it for you they can mix up different cases, but the problem is that if you authorise the lawyer to act for you (as in this case) you cannot then disclaim responsibility for what they did under that authority.
- WarOnPrivacy 3y ago
  > If you do it yourself (I did) its a reasonably straightforward webapp As far as I can tell, on online option doesn't exist in the US. It must be done in person at the courthouse. Q:Can you file for divorce online? A:Online divorce services cannot independently result in a legally recognized divorce ref: https://www.lawdepot.com/contracts/divorce/?loc=US https://www.lawdepot.com/contracts/divorce/?loc=US
- chrisjj 3y ago
  > If it was confusing and poorly put together such that it was difficult or unclear whose name gets put where and so forth No. Lawyer simply clicked the wrong name. It is not computer error. It is lawyer error.

graemep 3y ago

If you do it yourself (I did) its a reasonably straightforward webapp, and you do not really need a lawyer (its no-fault, and the divorce is separate from financial and child arrangements cases). You just fill in some forms, then wait a few months and fill in another form. The problem here is that when lawyers deal with it for you they can mix up different cases, but the problem is that if you authorise the lawyer to act for you (as in this case) you cannot then disclaim responsibility for what they did under that authority.

WarOnPrivacy 3y ago
> If you do it yourself (I did) its a reasonably straightforward webapp As far as I can tell, on online option doesn't exist in the US. It must be done in person at the courthouse. Q:Can you file for divorce online? A:Online divorce services cannot independently result in a legally recognized divorce ref: https://www.lawdepot.com/contracts/divorce/?loc=US https://www.lawdepot.com/contracts/divorce/?loc=US
chrisjj 3y ago
> If it was confusing and poorly put together such that it was difficult or unclear whose name gets put where and so forth No. Lawyer simply clicked the wrong name. It is not computer error. It is lawyer error.